The city council of Trondheim voted ’no’ to banning the sale of helium balloons in the city. At the same time, they voted yes to a proposal for a national ban.
Miljøpartiet De Grønne (The Green Party) in Trondheim suggested in the city council on February the 1st to ban helium balloons on municipal premises. The proposal was rejected. Instead, it was decided that the balloons should be sold with diluted helium, so that they do not fly away and end up in nature, reported Adresseavisen newspaper.
“For us, pollution isn’t the biggest problem with these balloons, but that helium is a scarce resource that the world is soon to be exhausted of. In 20 to 30 years, there will be no helium left in the world. Helium is used in medicine and research, which are far more important than balloons on May the 17th,” said Ola Lund Renolen (Green Party), who is the deputy mayor of Trondheim, to the newspaper.
Høyre (H) were among those who voted no to the proposal for a ban. At the same time, they submitted an additional proposal asking national authorities to review a national ban on helium balloons. This proposal was adopted.
Michael Momyr (H) justified the proposal by saying that it will not have any effect if only Trondheim puts down a ban, and thinks it is something that should be done nationally.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
