Call the Fun Police! Water balloon ban pitched for NYCs parks and playgrounds

She’s throwing a wet blanket on summertime fun.A Noho tech entrepreneur is pushing the city to ban “single-use” water balloons in public parks and playgrounds.“Every summer, New York City parks — especially popular playgrounds and splash pads — become littered with broken plastic water balloon pieces.It may seem like harmless fun, but the impact is serious,” reads Di Di Chan’s Change.org petition, which has so far collected about 200 signatures.

The petition calls on the Parks Department and the City Council to outlaw single-use balloons — which burst when they hit their target — for reusable ones, made from much thick rubber and magnetic closures.Chan, 40, also would like to see the city “post educational signage on [the] environmental impact” the leftover rubber from single use soakers create “at splash pads and playgrounds.”It was unclear if Chan has children.Chan then offered an Orwellian take, insisting, “This isn’t just about banning something — it’s about building better habits.”Leftover balloon remnants threaten wildlife who may ingest the pieces, she claimed, without providing specifics.Furthermore, single-use balloons create choking and tripping hazards for small children, she insisted in the petition.“Every summer, New York City parks — especially popular playgrounds and splash pads — become littered with broken plastic water balloon pieces.It may seem like harmless fun, but the impact is serious,” reads the petition.The petition calls for reusable water balloon swaps as well as volunteer cleanups.Chan — the co-founder of FutureProof Retail, a firm that teams with retailers to create customized line-free mobile checkout and order-ahead shopping apps — could not be reached for comment.Josh Malone, inventor of Bunch O Balloons, insisted the ban was not necessary.“Water balloons provide a way to play and cool off outdoors during heat waves,” Malone said.

“If you are playing in a public place, you sho...