* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia

Ironically coinciding with World Environment Day, I caught these balloons while sailing along the Maresme coast, images that I share in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia.

We had been sailing all morning along the Maresme coast, in the Barcelona area, and, as you can see, suddenly, we found a cluster of up to 26 helium balloons.

They were drifting across the Mediterranean Sea, all the strings tangled and submerged beneath the balloons.

Unfortunately, this waste is quite common and many people are not aware that many of these balloons end up in the sea.

In addition, these balloons are a danger to marine fauna, since they can get entangled (it can also happen that they get entangled in the propellers of ships).

By not buying this type of product you will help stop this problem, but it is clear that the definitive solution, even if it would harm a small group of merchants, would be to ban them.