Glitter gets a bad rap, and some might say it comes unfairly so. Who could hate having a little extra sparkle? The answer to that is a lot less simple than it might seem. While glitter might be considered annoying and irritating, and bashed for getting absolutely everywhere, the true trouble with glitter comes from the damage it can do to the world around us. When it comes to glitter, it’s all too easy for a “few” sparkles to slip between the cracks, and from there, even easier for these tiny plastic pieces to get swept out to sea where they’ll make life a hell of a lot harder for any sea creature out there.
Wait, what?
So maybe you haven’t heard the word about glitter being persona non grata. Glitter, unfortunately for all of us who like to indulge our sparkly sides, is a microplastic. You might have heard about other microplastics before, like the microbeads used in some exfoliating scrubs, or you might not have ever knowingly run across them. What it breaks down to is this: All microplastics have a much easier time slipping under the radar while being nearly impossible to get rid of, a pair of traits that make them even more dangerous.
Microplastics that get swept out to the ocean are high on a fish’s diet, even if they shouldn’t be. These pint-sized PET menaces are also small enough to get eaten by birds and plankton, and therefore, by anything that eats fish, birds, or plankton. Pitching these problems up the food chain can eventually prove to be a problem for humans too—PET is one of the most dangerous plastics out there, and it’s difficult to get rid of, no matter what form it’s in.
So what do I do?
Step one is getting rid of the glitter! Tons of places around the world are looking into microbead bans, or planning to expand that definition to include all microplastics, like the glitter everyone tends to gloss over as being “harmless”. While five minutes in a craft room full of small children would probably change their tune, it might be best to find less stressful options, like educating people on the evils of plastic glitter and what they can do with their leftover supplies of it.
Companies like EcoStardust and Rochfort Customs are teaming up to create awesome options, like this Non Bio-Glitter® Amnesty. If you want to get the glitter out of the house, and know you’re doing so in a sustainable way, finding a group willing to take on your old supplies and turn them into something upcycled and new is a good way to go!
But what about my sparkle?
It’s definitely not gone forever! Over the past few years we’ve seen a major trend towards the biodegradable glitter movement, with UK companies looking into alternative glitter options as the glitter ban movement kicks into overdrive, and international companies like LUSH stepping up from one biodegradable glitter to one that’s even better.
Biodegradable glitter is not only as sparkly as “regular” glitter, as brands like Bio-Glitter® easily prove, but it also comes in just as many shapes and sizes and almost as many colors and sheens as the plastic variety can. Another bonus is that the house-and-home-covering half life of biodegradable glitter is significantly lower than the plastic stuff and the options available tend to be a good deal less scratchy. While certain styles, like holographic glitter, are still out of reach, more and more work is being done on biodegradable glitter every single day.
Are you absolutely sure about this?
Yup. When the PET in glitter breaks down, it releases chemicals that can disrupt hormones for animals and humans alike, and even if it doesn’t break down right away, the glitter can still contribute to microplastic build up in an animal’s system, a painful process that will eventually kill an animal. If a microplastic dodges being dinner right off the bat, then it’s left to hang out at the bottom of whatever waterway it landed in, never biodegrading, soaking up toxic chemicals like a tiny, evil sponge, right up until it, just like pretty much every other microplastic, gets eaten by a fish.
Everything we put into our environment, we eventually get back out of it. We reap both the consequences and the rewards of whatever we sow, whatever they may be. In the case of microplastics like glitter, we’re reaping the “rewards” of toxic chemicals that become more and more concentrated as they work their way up the food chain, all the way back to…us. Glitter, as it turns out, is not only the natural enemy of cleanliness and order. It’s also a major villain in plastic’s latest war against the environment and Mother Earth.
I’m ready to try biodegradable glitter, but I still have a few concerns…
And we’re ready to tackle them! Let’s take on a few of the most common ones right now. A lot of people worry about biodegradable glitter dissolving right off of them if it’s worn somewhere outdoors, but it actually takes a little more than sweat to dissolve most types. This also means that when biodegradable glitter does break down, it’s being broken down into harmless component materials. On the flip side, if you’re worried about how long it’s going to take the glitter to break down, you’re not alone! Warm, moist environments can kick that biodegradation into high gear, while cool, dry ones can preserve your glitter’s lifespan for use over a longer period of time.
Application can also affect the glitter’s lifespan—oil and face-safe products tend to work best—as well as climate and weather. Use oil to remove glitter as well, and if you’re picking up the glitter for a crafting project, keep the “biodegradable” part in mind. Biodegradable products are made to last a little while, not the rest of your life!
It’s been a bad few years for a lot of things we once thought were harmless, or maybe even helpful. Sunscreen’s a reef killer, antibacterial soap is creating super bacteria, and now glitter’s got to go the way of the dodo—it’s gotten rough out there for products we once used to love! At the same time, being able to know exactly what something is doing to our environment and find a way to shift over to something that wouldn’t do nearly the same damage is a gift we’re not often given. Go forth, glitter fiends, and shine! Biodegradable glitter has got your back.
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