Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to Recycle Helium

Today marks the 82nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It also marks the second year that the helium used in some of the over-sized balloons will be recovered and recycled.

Linde North America is the provider of the helium used to inflate and lift the giant balloons, which include the likes of Snoopy, Buzz Lightyear, Kermit the Frog and Shrek. They will also lead the recovery and recycling effort of the helium from the balloons, focusing on the 31 medium-sized novelty balloons in the parade.

Steve Penn, head of global helium for Linde, said, “Linde’s recovery and recycling efforts will positively impact the conservation of helium. Macy’s has worked hand in hand with us to reduce the total amount of helium it uses year-on-year. Now Linde is applying helium recovery principles used successfully in other industries and in last year’s Parade to increase the amount of helium that can be recaptured for recycling.”

Why it’s a Big Deal

Helium is a limited and increasingly scare resource. It is produced very slowly through a process of decaying uranium and thorium. Currently, only about 5 percent of the world’s helium is being recycled.

In previous years, the helium from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons was released into the air. This year, a team from Linde and Macy’s will use instruments to collect the helium directly from the balloons and recycle it for future use. Today’s recycling effort represents a major landmark for helium recycling worldwide.

A Little Trivia…

Helium supplies were once so scarce that the 1958 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons were filled with regular air and placed on trucks for the procession.

Today’s parade will consist of thirteen giant balloons, thirty-one novely balloons, twenty-eight floats, ten bands and twenty-five clown groups, as well as singers and celebrities to entertain the crowd.