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Goodbye, Glitter?

Why using less of this sparkly stuff could help the environment

April 8, 2024

By Alice Sun

As you read, think about what happens to plastic items after you throw them away.

When making an arts and crafts project, what do you reach for to make your creation sparkle? For many people, the answer is glitter. This material adds shimmer to greeting cards and slime. It’s also used in clothing, makeup, and more.

When Dannielle Green was a kid, she loved glitter. Today she’s an ecologist—a scientist who studies how living and nonliving things interact—at Anglia Ruskin University in England. Green has come to realize that despite glitter’s shine, it has a dark side. Almost all glitter is made from plastic, which is “a long-lasting pollutant,” she says. People worldwide throw away more than 440 million tons of plastic a year. All that waste has become a serious environmental issue.

Glitter contributes to this problem. That’s why scientists are urging governments around the globe to prohibit its use. Last October, the European Union became the first to take action by banning the sale of loose glitter. Should everyone stop using glitter for the sake of the planet? Read on to discover why glitter may not be as dazzling as it appears.

You want to make your arts and crafts project sparkle. So what do you use? Many people reach for glitter. This material adds shimmer to greeting cards and slime. It’s also used in clothing, makeup, and more.

When Dannielle Green was a kid, she loved glitter. Today she’s an ecologist at Anglia Ruskin University in England. She studies how living and nonliving things interact. Now Green realizes that glitter may shine, but it has a dark side. Almost all glitter is made from plastic. And plastic is “a long-lasting pollutant,” she says. People worldwide throw away more than 440 million tons of plastic a year. All that waste is a serious environmental issue.

Glitter contributes to this problem. So scientists want governments around the globe to forbid its use. The European Union was the first to act. Last October, it banned the sale of loose glitter. Should everyone stop using glitter for the planet’s sake? Glitter may not be as dazzling as it appears. Read on to see why.

The History of Sparkle

KIM TAYLOR/NATUREPL.COM

Humans’ love of sparkle stretches back thousands of years. “People have always liked shiny things,” says Green. Ancient Egyptians, for instance, crushed beetles’ shells to create a glitter-like substance for their makeup. Before that, the ancient Mayans, who lived in what is now Central America, ground up the shimmery mineral mica and scattered it on religious temples during celebrations. Tens of thousands of years earlier, prehistoric people used crushed mica to add a twinkly touch to cave paintings.

Unlike the sparkly substances used long ago, glitter today doesn’t come from natural sources. It was invented by accident. In the 1930s, Henry Ruschmann, a German-American immigrant and inventor, built a machine that could cut photo paper at high speeds. But sometimes the machine messed up, spitting out tiny pieces of the glossy material. When the pieces reflected light, they sparkled. Ruschmann realized these shiny bits were special. He called them “schnibbles,” after a German word that means small scraps. He then went on to start a company focused on producing the shimmery stuff.

Ruschmann created schnibbles of all sizes, shapes, colors, textures, and materials, including paper, metal, and plastic. He found that hexagonal bits produced the most sparkle and the least amount of waste. Most modern glitter still comes in this shape and is made using Ruschmann’s method—cutting up sheets of plastic into small, shimmery, six-sided pieces. The only thing that’s changed is the product’s name.

Humans’ love of sparkle goes back thousands of years. “People have always liked shiny things,” says Green. For example, ancient Egyptians crushed beetles’ shells to create a glitter-like substance. They used it in their makeup. Before that, the ancient Mayans lived in what is now Central America. They ground up the shimmery mineral mica. During celebrations, they scattered it on religious temples. Prehistoric people used crushed mica tens of thousands of years earlier. It added a sparkle to their cave paintings.

Those sparkly substances from long ago came from natural sources. But today’s glitter doesn’t. It was invented by accident. Henry Ruschmann was a German-American immigrant and inventor. In the 1930s, he built a machine to cut photo paper at high speeds. But sometimes the machine messed up. It spit out tiny pieces of the glossy material. The pieces sparkled when they reflected light. Ruschmann realized these shiny bits were special. He called them “schnibbles,” after a German word that means small scraps. Then he started a company to produce the shimmery stuff.

Ruschmann made schnibbles of all sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. He used different materials, including paper, metal, and plastic. He found that six-sided bits produced the most sparkle. They also left the least amount of waste. Most modern glitter still comes in this shape. And it’s still made with Ruschmann’s method. Sheets of plastic are cut into small, shimmery, six-sided pieces. The only change is the product’s name.

Tiny Plastic Problem

Each year, manufacturers produce about 10,000 tons of glitter. Glitter is a microplastic. That’s what scientists call pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in length—or less than the size of a sesame seed. Glitter can be washed off items and rinsed down drains. Then the tiny particles easily pass through water filters designed to capture trash in sewers before they flow into rivers, streams, and oceans (see Down the Drain).

“The big problem with micro-plastics is that they don’t disappear,” says Green. While some materials like paper biodegrade, or break down naturally, plastics don’t. They just crumble into smaller and smaller microplastic pieces. These plastic fragments can remain in the environment for hundreds of years or more.

Microplastics are particularly threatening to marine life. Water-dwelling creatures like plankton and crustaceans mistake the plastic specks for food. When animals eat plastic instead of actual food, they don’t get the nutrients they need. Microplastics also contain toxic chemicals that affect the animals’ ability to grow and reproduce. And when large animals like fish eat these small aquatic critters, they consume microplastics too. Over time, ingested microplastics affect many living things in an ecosystem—including humans. Every material we use has an effect on the planet, says Green. “It doesn’t just stop existing after we use it.”

Each year, manufacturers produce about 10,000 tons of glitter. Glitter is a microplastic. Scientists use this term for plastic pieces smaller than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) long. That’s smaller than a sesame seed. Glitter can be washed off items and rinsed down drains. Water filters are designed to catch bulky trash in sewers before it flows into rivers, streams, and oceans. But the tiny glitter particles easily pass through the filters (see Down the Drain).

“The big problem with microplastics is that they don’t disappear,” says Green. Some materials biodegrade. For example, paper breaks down naturally. But plastics don’t. They just crumble into smaller and smaller microplastic pieces. These plastic bits can stay in the environment for hundreds of years or more.

Microplastics are a danger to marine life. Animals like plankton and crustaceans live in water. They mistake the plastic specks for food. Animals need nutrients from food. When they eat plastic instead, they don’t get the nutrients. Microplastics also contain toxic chemicals. They affect the animals’ ability to grow and reproduce. And large animals like fish eat these small aquatic critters. Then they consume microplastics too. Over time, consumed microplastics affect many living things in an ecosystem. And that includes humans. Every material we use has an effect on the planet, says Green. “It doesn’t just stop existing after we use it.”

Choosing Wisely

Some manufacturers are trying to address the problem by switching to biodegradable glitter made from plants. But some biodegradable glitters still contain chemicals that are bad for the environment. More countries may also follow in the European Union’s footsteps to outlaw glitter.

But Green says controlling our own glitter use would be the best solution. Although glitter makes up only a small portion of the world’s plastic pollution, it’s one of the easier types of plastic waste to reduce. There are plenty of eco-friendly options you can use in place of glitter to give art projects pizzazz, like colorful paper confetti, brightly dyed sand, or small glass beads.

If you do use glitter, use less and dispose of it properly. Use the sticky side of tape or a damp paper towel to collect any leftover specks. Then throw them into the trash. Do the same to remove glitter from your hands instead of washing them in the sink. This way glitter is less likely to end up in waterways.

Although it may feel like these small actions don’t matter, they’re important. If you and all your friends decide to become more conscious about glitter, says Green, your impact will add up. “We have the power to make a change and make the environment a better place.”

Some manufacturers want to address the problem. They’re switching to biodegradable glitter made from plants. But some biodegradable glitters still contain chemicals that harm the environment. More countries may also outlaw glitter, like the European Union did.

But the best solution is to control our own glitter use, says Green. Glitter is only a small part of the world’s plastic pollution. But it’s one of the easier types of plastic waste to reduce. Plenty of eco-friendly options can be used instead of glitter. Colorful paper confetti, brightly dyed sand, or small glass beads can make art projects sparkle.

If you do use glitter, use less. And get rid of it properly. Collect any leftover specks with the sticky side of tape or a damp paper towel. Then throw them into the trash. Do the same to remove glitter from your hands. Don’t wash them in the sink. Then glitter is less likely to end up in waterways.

It may feel like these small actions don’t matter. But they’re important. If you and all your friends become more careful about glitter, the effects will add up, says Green. “We have the power to make a change and make the environment a better place.”