The use of confetti at Santa Barbara parades and festivals — like Fiesta — is growing, both in the number of events where it is used and the volume of confetti tossed, the city reports.

“While confetti eggs or cascarones have long been a tradition at Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days, we are now seeing large bags of confetti being sold and dumped on our sidewalks, streets, and parks,” the city said.

Metallic confetti, sequins, glitter, and silly string are all made of non-biodegradable plastic, which can be mistaken for food and eaten by birds and other animals.
Metallic confetti, sequins, glitter, and silly string are all made of non-biodegradable plastic, which can be mistaken for food and eaten by birds and other animals.

In addition to paper confetti, the volume of shiny metallic confetti, sequins, glitter, and silly string used at community events is increasing. These are all made of plastic, which is not biodegradable, and are often mistaken for food and consumed by birds and other animals.

Confetti can easily wash or blow into storm drains, creeks and the ocean, where it poses a threat to aquatic life and pollutes our environment.

During celebrations, the city encourages revelers and vendors to choose paper confetti and use it sparingly, and do not add plastic or foam decorations on the outside of the eggs.

View information on Selling Cascarones (La venta cascarones). To help spread the word about confetti litter, download and share confetti outreach materials.