All that glitters is microplastics this New Year's Eve, Waterloo researcher warns

As people prepare to ring in the new year, it might be interesting to note how much glitter is around.

Glitter can often be found in the air as confetti, on celebratory hats and glasses, on decorations, but there's a push to use less as concerns about glitter's environmental impact grows.

John Galbraith is the owner of Doll Haus Events. This New Year's Eve, his company is hosting a Roaring Drag Ball extravaganza with drag performances, glitz and glamour at The Albion in Guelph, Ont. But there will be absolutely no glitter.

"The venue doesn't allow glitter at all. But even if that wasn't the case, we are not a confetti or glitter company, because of the amount of waste," Galbraith said. 

He said that he's seen many venues move away from glitter as frustration with its difficulty to clean up grows. 

"We try to always make sure that we are being respectful of the venues that we're working in and we don't want to make any mess that cannot be completely cleaned up when we leave," he said. 

Since their founding in 2020, Galbraith notes that there's been a trend in the industry away from glitter, especially with performances in restaurants and bars. There has been some pushback, though. 

"We've had performers that have said this is a huge part of my act or a big part of my number that will add a lot," Galbraith said. 

But while they'll allow for glittery adornments like sequins on dresses or other things that don't make as much of a mess, Doll Haus Events takes a fairly hard stance on glitter products, largely because of the mess, but also because of its growing environmental impact, Galbraith said.

An 'intentional microplastic'

Environment-conscious advocates like Christian Euler, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo, say glitter is not just a nuisance to clean up — it's a hazard to the earth. 

"It's an intentional microplastic," Euler told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo in an interview. "It persists in the environment where it's toxic, and that's a big problem."

He said the issue with classic glitter is that its chemical properties are resistant to degradation completely and can, for example, reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. It can also leach chemicals that disrupt endocrine systems and vertebrates in the environment. 

He said people often think of microplastics in terms of reheating items with bulk plastic, like leftovers in a plastic container, but glitter is an obvious microplastic that people need to be aware of.

Karen Wirsig, the plastics program manager for Environmental Defence, said glitter can easily get into water systems and end up being eaten by small fish and other organisms. 

"It really is a poison in the environment," she said. 

In fact, Euler said there's no real responsible way of disposing of glitter products. 

"The best thing we can do is reduce our use and replace it with bio-based alternatives," he said.

Glitter alternatives in the works

Scientists have been working on certain alternatives for years now. For example, a team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has created a sustainable glitter, made from cellulose plant fibre, that does not contain any plastic, pigments or reflective metals.

In 2022, a University of Saskatchewan research team developed a new type of glitter that is biodegradable and edible.

Wirsig even suggests people who want to throw glitter in the air use rice instead. It may feel like a waste, but Wirsig says it has the same celebratory effect of throwing confetti in the air. 

Wirsig also said that, in the case of plastic and glittery decorations, try to be mindful about reusing them during the holiday season. People can't always avoid single use plastics, she said, but they can mitigate their harm.

"I love decorating for the holidays. I put my decorations away at the end of the year and get them out next year, and use them again and again and again," she said. "And I think that's really the best alternative."