The city of Richmond, B.C. is looking into reducing the use of glitter because of the risk of micro-plastics pollution.
"There’s been a growing concern of the environmental and health impacts of glitter, like we are seeing with many plastic products," said city spokesman Ted Townsend.
Townsend said the city will look into alternatives and then decide what its next steps will be.
‘Glitter bans’ are becoming more common around the world. In the U.K last year, 61 British music festivals banned their attendees from wearing glitter.
Cosmetics company Lush, famous for its sparkly bath bombs and eco-friendly products, announced it would replace glitter with a biodegradable synthetic substitute in January 2018.
The Richmond City Arts Centre has banned glitter starting from June 24, and has already started to phase it out of use.
A researcher at the University of British Columbia studying micro-plastics says that Richmond is the first municipality she has heard of taking a harder line on glitter.
“I think glitter is a really good starting point, it may not be the main contributor to plastic or microplastic pollution, but it’s certainly one of them,” said lab technician Natalie Mahara.
Mahara says that microplastics are often coated with chemicals or toxins, which are harmful to marine life.
