‘There has to be glitter’: can the Rio carnival give up its love of beach-polluting microplastics?

Revellers celebrate carnival on Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo beach. The city collected 1,600 tonnes of rubbish after last year’s parties and parades but microplastic glitter disappears into the environment Photograph: María Magdalena Arréllaga/The Guardian

Whether it is embellishing elaborate costumes, delicately applied as eye makeup, or smeared across bare skin, glitter is everywhere at Rio de Janeiro’s carnival in Brazil. The world’s largest party, which ended on Wednesday, leaves a trail of sparkles in its wake.

At one bloco last weekend, a huge sound truck and dancers in leopard print led thousands of revellers down the promenade at Flamengo beach. Among them was Bruno Fernandes, who had jazzed up an otherwise minimalist outfit of navy swimming briefs by smearing silver glitter over his body.