Dressed in their best outfits, graduating college students put the most into making their celebratory photoshoots memorable.
Whether the backdrop is the University of Miami’s seven-foot-tall “U” or Florida State University’s “Unconquered” statue, capturing these last iconic photos serves as many students’ final farewell to their school. To catch the eye, they dress in glitter, pop champagne and toss confetti.
But when the ceremonies are over, there’s much left behind.
Those non-recyclable shiny plastics and other debris stick in the grass and dirt, are drawn into storm drains and scatter in the wind — eventually degrading into environmentally harmful microplastics. They can contaminate water and food sources of both people and animals amid growing evidence that exposure to microplastics can be harmful.
“Once you are at the finish line, a lot of times you probably don’t have the bandwidth to think about the environment and all other things, you’re just glad that it’s done,” said Pallab Mozumder, FIU professor of environmental policy and economics. “But if we take a minute and think about that, you know if we do not take care of the environment, we all suffer at the end.”
Increasingly, students on campuses across Florida are working to address the issue to make graduation celebrations and photo shoots more eco-friendly.
“There were several times last semester when people were taking grad photos and I’d audibly exclaim like, ‘Why the hell am I seeing confetti right in front of me on the ground?’” said University of Central Florida civil engineering major Julian Walters, adding that he’s found confetti around a boardwalk featured in UCF’s natural cypress dome — a freshwater wetland.
He’s not alone.
Around the country, students have taken to social media to share their frustration about this campus look.
“It shows a disrespect to our beautiful nature on campus which you have enjoyed all these years,” worldfamouslobster wrote in a University of California, Irvine, Reddit thread. “Repeat after me: it is not worth the waste.”
On X (formerly Twitter), @realsammyjepsen wrote of Texas Christian University, saying “Need TCU PD to issue citations for any and all confetti related graduation photo sessions… Calling on SGA and TCU Admin to resolve this utter disregard for the campus and environment!”
Some national environmental advocacy groups also have begun to take note.
“Why not celebrate a person or memorialize a moment in one of the many ways that doesn’t hurt the environment and wildlife?” asked Melissa Valliant, communications director at Beyond Plastics, which works to eliminate plastic pollution. “Plastic confetti is arguably one of the most wasteful forms of single-use plastic, as it can be avoided so easily.”
At Just Zero, which advocates for community-based zero waste solutions, Policy and Advocacy Director Peter Blair said what’s happening on campuses is very different from corporate advertising practice, in which companies “go out of their way to hide plastic — Starbucks plays up recyclability, Coca-Cola shows only glass bottles.”
“What makes graduation photos with plastic confetti so striking is that they don’t greenwash the issue — they show the reality of how much plastic has crept into our celebrations,” Blair said.
At UCF, Ava Hendricks, the Sustainability, Wellness & Innovation Coordinator of the school’s Student Government Association, said a recent soil survey of the cypress dome on campus found traces of plastic — from microplastics to full pieces of plastic confetti that she estimated to be from as far back 2012 — layered in the ground.
“The confetti does build up and it makes a layer and it gets all gross and kind of sticky the longer it sits there and starts to break down,” Hendricks said. “It kind of reminds me of like, how [with] trees, you can see darker rings in a growing season versus a drier season. You can kind of trace and see when graduation typically is based on our soil samples because there will be a buildup of that plastic in the soil.”
UCF’s student government has given out water-soluble, biodegradable confetti, made with naturally colored cornstarch, for free since 2017. Even still, plastic confetti is consistently found on campus. When graduation season comes around again, Hendricks plans to set up wooden pickup boxes with bags of this “ecofetti” at the campus’ most popular photo spots, making it easier for students to be environmentally friendly.
“It’s not just the students, it’s the social mindset,” said Mozumder, the FIU environmental professor. “You want to impress your people… [but] we need to understand the consequences and build the social awareness so our expectation is adjusted.”
Daniel Weinberg, a biological engineering major with a specialization in land and water research at the University of Florida in Gainesville, said he’s seen plastic confetti around the campus.
“The school [should] instate harder restrictions on plastic pollution,” Weinberg said. “If the school has littering policies, it should apply to confetti.”
UF’s Director of Public Affairs, Cynthia Roldán, declined to comment.
At the University of North Florida in Jacksonsville, the John A. Delaney Student Union and Adam W. Herbert University Center, the use of plastic confetti and glitter is not permitted, while biodegradable options may need approval.
Media Relations Assistant Director Amanda Ennis stated that UNF is “deeply committed to environmental responsibility and sustainability” and is taking part in plastic reduction methods that discourage its use.
The Green Campus Initiative at FIU, on the heels of its “Plastics if you ask” campaign — making non-essential plastics offered on campus only upon request — is preparing to take on plastic confetti pollution. GCI leaders said they are reaching out to other schools to find out how they have handled the issue.
FIU Director of Media Relations Madeline Baro pointed to its student conduct policies, stating, “FIU is committed to maintaining and improving the appearance of the physical environment of the campus…The campus should be free from excessive postings, chalking, and litter which defaces and depreciates the value of the grounds and facilities of the campus.”
“If we can prevent, it’s better to invest in that prevention… because you’re not going to clean it,” said Joyce Faria, a co-director of the GCI environmental politics and legislation committee. “Like, let’s be honest, you’re not going to be in your high heels or your best suit and then crouch down and start cleaning that, you know?”
Another GCI co-director, Ashley True, added, “At our school, people really care about the animals — like the cats, the lizards, all of it. I’m worried about the effects on the animals, like them getting sick, them ingesting [confetti], the amount of plastics in them, and things like that.”
At UCF, Hendricks said plastic litter has been found chewed up and thought to be consumed by campus wildlife.
“I have to kind of take a step back and tell myself that it’s not being done maliciously — it’s coming from a place of a lack of understanding,” she said. “But I do think that it does get to a point where, when do we start taking this seriously? When do we start instating fines? When do we start really looking at this issue and considering how much damage it’s doing? Where do we draw the line?”
Walters, another UCF student, added, “You don’t really need confetti. Some other alternatives I’ve seen have been like cutting up lavender — using some flower cuttings — or paper clippings. It can be a fun project and it doesn’t harm the environment and it doesn’t look super ugly.”
UCF did not respond to requests for comment.
