“Sprinkle pool” at Museum of Ice Cream spurs search for biodegradable alternative

In Miami, the Museum of Ice Cream is looking for a biodegradable alternative to the colorful pieces of plastic it uses to fill its “sprinkle pool,” as the tiny pieces of plastic are clinging to “swimming” visitors and making their way into the environment.

While the “museum” has become an Instagram darling, the Miami location recently received a sanitation violation and $1,000 fine because so many of the pool’s 100 million plastic pieces have been hitching a ride on visitors and ending up on nearby sidewalks.

Sprinkle Gate came to light when environmentalist Dave Doebler tracked the litter’s spread as far away as two blocks. He worries the plastic may eventually make their way into the ocean. “They might as well just be throwing them straight into the ocean,” Doebler tells the New Times.

For its part, the MOIC says it is looking into possible short-term solutions and is also developing a biodegradable sprinkle for the pool in the future. The Museum did not, however, detail what sort of material was under development.