Kickstart: Hang onto your balloons and beads

For Valentine's Day this year, park rangers at South Padre Island in Texas would like to remind you to hold onto your balloons. Literally.

The park notes that balloons often end up along the shoreline and in water if they are not disposed of properly. One family recovered 60 balloons from just one small section of the park's beach in 2020.

"That fleeting gesture can have a very lasting impact, because these balloons can be made out of materials like polypropylene, latex, mylar, and they're designed to withstand fatigue; which means once they end up in the environment, they can last a long time," Dustin Baker, lead ranger for the Interpretation and Education Division at Padre Island National Seashore, told local TV station KRIS.

Balloons can mimic the look of jellyfish, while strings end up wrapped around turtles or other creatures.

Anyone in the area wanting to help remove balloons and other trash on the island can sign up for the Annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup on Feb. 27.

Another worry for celebrations next week, even with limited attendance? Mardi Gras beads.

If you've visited New Orleans at any time of the year, you'll see beads hanging from trees and wires. There are also an unknown number that make their way into waterways via storm drains, an issue that has prompted some environmental groups to push for biodegradable plastics to be used. But many are created from inexpensive plastic regrind that are then coated to look new.

Mobile, Ala., home of the first Mardi Gras in the U.S., had "138,600 people clamoring for beads thrown from 19 floats by almost 1,000 riders" in 2020, according to The New Republic.

Local environmental group Mobile Baykeeper said it had 72 volunteers combing the area after the parade, collecting more than 500 pounds of trash from entering waterways.

It's been a tough few months for resin buyers, and the situation isn't getting any easier.

Frank Esposito reports that prices for nylon 6 and nylon 6/6 are both rising, a reflection of auto production that surged after shutdowns early in the pandemic.

In addition, prices for recycled resins are on the rise, in part because of increased demand for post-consumer recycled resins by packaging companies and brand owners.

You can check out the changes here.

Just a short note: Plastics News and its sister publications will be taking a holiday on Monday, Feb. 15. (Yes, I also think its odd that Crain Communications considers Presidents Day a holiday, but I do love an extra day off.)

So stay safe and warm, and hang onto those balloons and beads.