Sky lanterns & helium balloons

Which Scottish local councils have banned them, and which haven’t?

Below is a map showing which of Scotland’s 32 local councils have banned the release of sky lanterns and/or helium balloons from council-owned land, and which have not, according to our research.

In the cases of Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar), North Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire and Edinburgh City - we are in talks with each council to ascertain if they have any provisions in place to protect against the impact of sky lanterns and helium balloons on animals and the environment. If not, we will be urging them to put them in place.

For Shetland, who only have a helium balloon ban in place, and Stirling and Midlothian, who only have bans on sky lanterns, we will again be working to ensure that their bylaws be amended to include prohibitions on both.

However, even once every single Scottish local council has implemented their own bans, these can only ever apply to council-owned land. They do not have the power to ban them entirely.

This is why, in addition to supporting local councils, we are calling on the Scottish Government to recognise the good work done by local government so far, and help them take it one step further by legislating against both sky lanterns and helium balloons from all public and private land across Scotland.