A GLITTER ban has been introduced at an Isle of Wight nursery to encourage children to care for the environment.

Tops Day Nurseries, which has 19 nurseries across the south and south west, including one at the Isle of Wight College site, hit the national headlines after banning glitter due to its environmental impact.

It follows a government announcement earlier this year that products containing microbeads — small beads of plastic found in cosmetic products such as toothpaste and facial scrubs — will be banned.

Although a much loved art and craft favourite, glitter is a microplastic and virtually impossible to remove from the environment.

It cannot be recycled and contaminates the seas, where it is ingested by fish and shellfish and, subsequently, by humans — together with toxic additives used by manufacturers.

Tops Day Nurseries is seeking an environmentally friendly alternative, such as the mineral glitter used by cosmetics company Lush.

The nursery chain has also banned single use plastic items including straws, balloons, cups and plates, and introduced bamboo toothbrushes and recycled paint.

It has a 'zero to landfill' goal, started installing solar panels at its nurseries, as well as timers on water coolers and heaters and fuel saving magnets on gas and water mains, and its company cars are electric.

Managing director Cheryl Hadland said: "We hope our future generation will be more conscientious about their impact on the environment. We welcome support from parents and families, we believe this is a cultural change which will benefit not only us, but our children even more."