Plastic waste has been getting the attention it merits recently – with straws, bags and q-tips all coming under fire for their detrimental environmental impact. 

However, there is one other form of plastic that no one seems to think about, yet it ends up coating the countryside during festival season. 

Yes my sparkly friends, we're talking about glitter. 

While it may seem like an edgy addition to nay festival ensemble, glitter actually doesn't break down thanks to the fact that it is, essentially, just tiny shards of iridescent plastic. 

It is considered to be a microplastic – making it very harmful to animals and fish if ingested.

The UK’s 35 Year Environmental Plan has banned single-use plastics from the country, and glitter falls under that category. 

Festivals have been signing up en-masse to get rid of their plastic waster footprint, with over 60 independent music fests pledging their name to the cause. 

Known as the 'Drastic on Plastic' pledge, here's the full list if festivals who have signed up:

  • 2000trees
  • Ampthill Festival
  • ArcTanGent
  • Barn on the Farm
  • Beat-Herder Festival
  • Belladrum Tartan Heart
  • Bestival
  • Bloodstock Open Air
  • Bluedot Festival
  • Boardmasters
  • Boomtown Fair
  • Burning Lantern Festival
  • Camp Bestival
  • Chase Park Festival
  • Common People
  • Deer Shed Festival
  • Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru
  • El Dorado
  • Elderflower Fields
  • Electric Fields
  • End Of The Road Festival
  • Fairport’s Cropredy Convention
  • Festival No.6
  • Festival of Voice
  • Field Day
  • Fire in the Mountain – Tan yn y Mynydd
  • Garage Nation Outdoor Festival
  • Green Gathering
  • Greenbelt Festival
  • Handmade Festival
  • Hanwell
  • Hootie Music Festival
  • Hebridean Celtic Festival
  • Just So Festival
  • Kendal Calling
  • Kew The Music
  • Larmer Tree Festival
  • London Remixed Festival
  • Long Division
  • Lost Village
  • Magical Meltdown Festival
  • Mint Street Music Festival
  • Nozstock The Hidden Valley
  • Oxjam Music Festival
  • Oxted Beer and Music Festival
  • Pangaea Festival
  • Pete the Monkey Festival
  • Rewind Festival
  • Shambala Festival
  • Standon Calling
  • Starry Skies
  • Strawberries & Creem Festival
  • Sunflowerfest
  • SWN Festival
  • The Vicar’s Picnic
  • Tramlines
  • Truck Festival
  • Twisterella Festival
  • Underneath the Stars festival
  • Victorious Festival
  • Village Green
  • Y-Not Festival
 

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Bio-degradable glitter is definitely a thing, with the product being mad up of plat cellulose rather than plastic. 

So save the environment while you're bopping away to the tunes please and thanks.