Glitter often seems like one of those totally innocuous things. We smear it on our bodies, wear it on our clothes, put it on our eyelids, cover the ground with it, hand it to our children and god knows where it ends up after that. But, there are some cold hard truths about glitter we will break down for you. And then promptly do what we do best…give you our eco-friendly glitter guide!
The Bad Stuff
Traditional glitter, the stuff we have been using for a long time, is made out of tiny plastic pieces. Of course it, right?! But those plastic pieces are so easily transported that they end up in our waterways and ultimately in our oceans. *By the way it is the same for those little exfoliating microbeads….*
If you don’t know by now the sad state of our blue earth, check this article about micro-plastics out.
Do you really want to add to the 236,000 metric tons of micro-plastics in the ocean just so you can feel like a fairy at a music festival? Wouldn’t you rather live clean and not rub tiny plastic parts on your face, or eat them in your seafood?
Okay, good. Then we are all on the same page.
The awesome news is that so many people are doing so many great things to provide us consumers with products we want that don’t have the deleterious effects.
The Stuff to Watch Out For
- If you see a product that says it is compostable, make sure it ends up in the compost. These products usually need bacteria or special conditions to break down, and won’t break down in nature.
- The good stuff is biodegradable. It is usually made from Eucalyptus trees. But this doesn’t mean you should litter it all over the ground, there is always more research that needs to be done, and while plant based biodegradable is better than plastic, it still may not be ideal.
- If you can’t find the ingredient list, or it doesn’t say its 100% plant based, I would always err on the side of caution.
The Good Stuff. The Eco-Friendly Glitter Guide.
Speaking of eco-friendly glitter guides, what about decorations?
We got you. Inside My Nest makes some great biodegradable and pretty tissue based glittery confetti. Here are our top picks!
Or these nice shredded kinds!
We hope our eco-friendly glitter guide has been useful for you! If you need more eco-friendly decorating tips, check out our guide to eco-friendly balloon alternatives!