Marine Conservation Society backs plan to ban Chinese lanterns in the UK

Photo courtesy of Reuben Whitehouse

Chinese sky lanterns (or flying Chinese lanterns) which use hot air from a flame to float a paper structure have been traditionally released to bring good luck and prosperity over thousands of years. Many Asian countries, most notably Thailand, commonly use sky lanterns in celebrations and other special occasions. They have also become popular in the UK over recent years, and can often be observed at weddings, parties, and summertime festivals, where an estimated 200,000 are released each year. However, whilst many consider this a beautiful and fascinating way to light up the sky, pressure is mounting on the UK government to ban the manufacture and sale of these ‘mobile fireballs’.

The ban follows countries such as Australia, Germany, Austria, and more recently Spain. Ban supporters include the National Farmers Union (NFU), Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis, who has already banned the lighting decorations at the famous Worthy farm festival due to the high number of complaints from local farmers. The UK Marine Conservation Society (MCS) have also recently joined the campaign. “It’s out of sight, out of mind” said MCS Litter Campaigns Officer Emma Snowden, who comments that the problem is that people have no idea of the damage the lanterns can do as once they’ve disappeared over the horizon. MCS have also supported a similar ban on the release of balloons, which cause many problems to marine and terrestrial wildlife.

The lanterns, increasingly used in place of balloons, can be made of various materials such as bamboo or oiled rice paper covering a wire frame. Once out of sight they are often left to drift and become difficult to track, covering several miles, especially where strong winds prevail. Problems arise when the lanterns descend into farmland or coastal waters, where they pose a threat to farm animals and marine life such as turtles, seals and whales when the wire frame is ingested or becomes entangled around the animal. Reports from farmers include a cow that ingested the wire frame of a lantern, causing its stomach to rupture, and a young foal injuring itself after being startled by the decorative lights.

The lanterns also contribute to rising litter levels and present a fire risk to buildings and fields of crops. In Vietnam, they have been responsible for thousands of forest fires, whilst closer to home they have caused fires on industrial estates in Somerset and housing estates in 2011. They have also caused problems for the RNLI and lifeguards, where they have been seen over the sea and mistaken for flares.

Whilst there are no current plans for a ban, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs commented a ban "had not been ruled out but was not being planned at the moment", whilst he Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) deems the lanterns safe under consumer laws. A spokeswoman added EU countries which had banned them had done so under other laws. Many manufacturers insist their products are biodegradable, and are provided with appropriate instructions to warn they should only be used with a light wind and should be launched away from trees, airports and areas where they could be confused with distress signals. For now consumers have been warned of the dangers urged to use caution, especially considering the numbers that are likely to be released this year due to the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

By Will Matthews