Nursery ban on ‘harmful’ glitter takes the shine off Christmas

’TIS the season to be jolly – but not if it involves glitter, says the head of a nursery school group who has banned the decoration after realising the harm it does to the environment.

Cheryl Hadland, the managing director of Tops Day Nurseries, which has 19 nurseries across the south of England, says glitter is a microplastic that does “terrible damage” to nature.

“You can see when the children are taking their bits of craft home and there’s glitter on the cardboard, it blows off and into the air and on to the road,” she said.

“It’s only a tiny little bit, but we’ve got 3,000 children and they’re all doing Christmas crafts at the moment, so we’ve got glitter everywhere.”

Ms Hadland, who has been running nurseries for almost three decades, added: “There are 22,000 nurseries in the country, so if we’re all getting through pounds and pounds of glitter, we’re doing terrible damage, and these children, the world is for them. So here we are wrecking the place for them, and I didn’t even know. I had no idea that we were doing all that damage. You can’t really recycle it because it’s so small, you can’t separate it from anything.” Ms Hadland said she believes parents will support the ban, since a recent survey found that the vast majority want their child’s education to be eco-sustainable.

Ms Hadland, from Bournemouth, acknowledged that it is a shame to be doing away with glitter, but added: “When we’re wrecking the environment, we really can’t be doing it. So we’re just going to have to start getting our heads round using stuff that’s more sustainable.”

Sue Kinsey, of the Marine Conservation Society, praised the “proactive approach”, saying: “The majority of microplastics that get into the sea come from personal care products, household cleaners, tyre wear and other sources.

“While glitter is only a small part of the microplastic load getting into watercourses and the sea, steps like these will all add up to something greater.

“This is a very proactive approach, among lots of things that the nursery is doing to help the environment, like using cloth aprons and not releasing balloons outdoors, and it is definitely possible to create a Christmas card to take home without using glitter.”

Other ways to enjoy an eco-friendly Christmas include using LED fairy lights and saving Christmas lunch leftovers to use as compost, says the Carbon Trust, which advises on how to cut down on carbon emissions.

‘We’re just going to have to start getting our heads round using stuff that’s more sustainable’