Suffolk Launches Balloon Recycling Program
Collection boxes at three city recreation centers will accept deflated balloons, ribbons and balloon pieces for recycling through TerraCycle.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Civic
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Keep Suffolk Beautiful has launched a balloon recycling program with collection boxes at Bennett's Creek, Curtis R. Milteer, Sr., and East Suffolk recreation centers. Collected materials will be shipped to TerraCycle for processing and recycling.
Why it matters
The initiative responds to a 2025 Clean Virginia Waterways report documenting balloon litter at Fisherman Island, where balloons were the most frequently recorded type of marine debris. The program gives Suffolk residents a local option for disposing of balloon materials that would otherwise end up as litter.
Researchers documented 5,867 pieces of balloon-related litter on Virginia's Fisherman Island between 2014 and 2024, with plastic ribbons accounting for 55% of collected debris. The volume the Suffolk collection boxes will receive has not been reported.
The players
Keep Suffolk Beautiful
A local volunteer organization focused on litter prevention and beautification efforts in the city of Suffolk, Virginia.
Clean Virginia Waterways
A Virginia nonprofit that has researched balloon litter for more than two decades and is the nation's first Balloon Mission Chapter.
TerraCycle
A waste-recycling company that processes hard-to-recycle materials and will receive the balloon materials collected in Suffolk.
The details
Collection boxes at three city recreation centers accept deflated or popped latex and foil balloons, ribbons and balloon pieces. The program is part of a statewide partnership with Clean Virginia Waterways and Balloon Mission, and partial support comes from the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality through NOAA.
Timeline
2014 to 2024: Researchers document 5,867 pieces of balloon litter on Fisherman Island.
2025: Clean Virginia Waterways publishes its report on balloon litter findings.
November 4, 2026: Suffolk launches the balloon recycling program with collection boxes.
Roadmap
The Suffolk program builds directly on Clean Virginia Waterways' balloon litter research on Fisherman Island, which has tracked debris for more than two decades. It moves that research from documentation toward a local disposal option that addresses the materials the study identified.
Residents can drop deflated latex and foil balloons, ribbons and balloon pieces into collection boxes at Bennett's Creek, Curtis R. Milteer, Sr., and East Suffolk recreation centers. The boxes provide a local alternative to discarding balloon materials as litter.
The takeaway
Deflated balloons and ribbons can now be dropped at participating Suffolk recreation centers rather than left as litter. Residents who regularly host events can use the collection boxes to keep balloon debris out of local waterways.
Further reading
Explore more local stories in the Civic section for related community coverage.
More information
Find details on the balloon recycling program from Clean Virginia Waterways.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WAVY-TV 10 Hampton Roads.
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