Nurseries ban glitter this Christmas drive for cleaner oceans
A group of nurseries in southern England banned the use of glitter among its 2,500 children to reduce the amount of microplastics entering the Oceans.
Harriet Pacey, the business development director at Tops Day Nurseries, a 19-strong chain, said: “We want to do something we have control over.”
The nursery group’s views were backed up by scientific expertise. Alice Horton, research associate at the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, told the Guardian she was unaware of specific research on glitter but that it was likely to be found in similar places to other microplastics.
She said: “Glitter is absolutely a microplastic and has the same potential to cause harm as any other microplastic; including microbeads. The tiny pieces of plastic contribute to aquatic pollution. “We all know that glitter can get everywhere and is highly likely to end up in the environment, either down the drain or by shedding from decorative items. So I think there’s no harm in banning it from nurseries for craft purposes given that its only purpose is ornamental.”
Read more at: www.theguardian.com