Flower petals make a great confetti alternative! You can buy them online or locally at tea shops or stores with bulk sections, like Ozark Natural Foods.
The end of a semester always comes with the joy of a new batch of graduates. Finishing college calls for celebration! However, documenting these milestone moments can create environmentally damaging waste. Graduation picture remnants–streamers, confetti, glitter–are pooled into puddles on Old Main Lawn. There’s a slurry of dulled gold sparkles, dirt, and half-dissolved cardboard muddling the grass, especially in the late-spring Fayetteville rain. Scientists have marked confetti and glitter as a concern for the potential harm caused by these seemingly innocuous bits of plastic.
The confetti left behind after events or photoshoots can wash away into drainage systems, which leads to local water sources where they can harm aquatic life. Birds are also particularly susceptible to ingesting confetti because it’s small and eye-catching. The microplastics that make up confetti and glitter of are indigestible and full of chemicals that can seep into the soil, water sources, and animals.
This is a concern for humans as we then ingest the water and foodstuffs grown and raised on the polluted land. Confetti and glitter are virtually impossible to clean up. In addition to the environmental impacts these materials have, the litter is inevitably scattered and pressed into the ground which creates additional, tedious work for campus grounds maintenance. Even “biodegradable” confetti can still damage places like Old Main Lawn, staining the grass and polluting waterways.
There are alternatives–sparkling juice, leaves (perfect for December grads!), or just photoshopping the confetti in. At the end of the day, as long as you’re taking only pictures and leaving only footprints, you’re good to go. Leave no trace!
By Sydney Golding, Waste Aversion Coordinator.