A beachgoer has urged couples not to host gender reveal parties along the coast because of the residue such parties leave behind.
A woman shared a video showing a path of pink confetti laying across the white sand asking parents-to-be to ‘not ruin our beaches’.
Scientists have determined this traditional confetti is made from microplastics that pollute the oceans, poison wildlife and can take 1,000 years to break down.
Beach litter adds to the many gender reveal parties that have left their mark on the environment: a 75-mile fire was ignited in California and pink confetti was spread throughout Yosemite National Park.
A video resurfaced asking parents who expected them not to throw confetti on the beach during their gender reveal parties (photo)
Confetti can harm the environment, releasing toxic microplastics into the ocean and poisoning wildlife
Traditional metallic confetti is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metal foil and other plastics that can be harmful to the environment and wildlife.
Animals such as fish, crustaceans and seabirds are attracted to the glittering shine of the confetti and may mistake it for food.
When the microplastic – small plastics with a length of about five millimeters – accumulates in the animal’s stomach, it can poison the animal or cause it to starve.
Some people have used biodegradable confetti as an alternative, but even this option is harmful to the environment and the confetti takes weeks to break down, giving wildlife plenty of time to eat it.
‘The beach is not a compost bin. People shouldn’t leave anything biodegradable behind,” someone commented on the TikTok video posted last July and reported on Tuesday by The cooling down.
Confetti sales have skyrocketed in recent years, with a million pounds sold annually in the US, and even paper confetti is too small to recycle, according to San Jose, California. Waste management.
The organization is warning people to avoid using confetti outdoors so it doesn’t become litter, and clarifies that only undyed confetti should be composted because the dye can contain toxic heavy metals.
There are alternatives that people can use in place of confetti, such as dried petals, leaf cutouts and seeds.
Couples have gone to great lengths over the past year hoping to throw an impressive gender reveal party – and most of it has come at the expense of the environment.
California parents sparked a fire in 2020 after using “smoke bombs” during a photo shoot, sparking a 75-mile blaze.
Wildlife advocates have since grown fed up with the disastrous displays and are now calling for hefty fines for those who use the environment as a backdrop for the unveiling.
Beth Pratt, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation California, previously told McClatchy News: “Certainly, glitter or other microplastics have a huge impact on wildlife.
California parents sparked a fire in 2020 after using ‘smoke bombs’ during a photo shoot, sparking a 75-mile blaze
A wildlife expert shared her horror after seeing a bunch leaving pink confetti in Yosemite National Park last January
She noticed a couple leaving remains in Yosemite National Park.
“We need to start imposing heavy fines if rights holders continue to cause resource damage in our national parks,” Pratt told X over an image of the gender reveal.
‘And people may need to take a test before visiting to show they understand these areas are protected places and home to wildlife.’