Miami's Museum Of Ice Cream Is Killing The Ocean

The Instagrammable wonderland that's made its way from New York to Los Angeles and now, to Miami, might just melt due to all the hot water it's in. The Museum of Ice Cream in Florida, which debuted during Art Basel, has just been hit with a $1000 fine from the city for creating an "environmental hazard."

The offending attraction? That oh-so-ubiquitous sprinkle pool everyone has been diving into.

You see, those sprinkles, as colorful and cute as they are, are not really sprinkles. They're tiny plastic pods of litter. According to the Miami New Times, a local environmentalist spotted the debris on the sidewalk and street outside the museum and realized they were sticking to people's clothes and falling off outside. When rain sweeps them into storm drains, they're going directly into the ocean and can cause some detrimental effects to marine life. Not cool.

While we're the last ones to stop you from waiting on a ridiculously long line for the sake of a 'gram, you should probably make like Taylor Swift and "Shake It Off" before you leave.

Update: The Museum of Ice Cream has responded to the issue, ensuring that they're taking steps to prevent the sprinkle waste:

At Museum of Ice Cream, we take our role very seriously as a public-facing entity and aim to inspire and position ourselves as a brand who greatly understands our social responsibility and cultural presence. We appreciate the feedback we have received from visitors and the local Miami community and can assure our audience that we don't take their suggestions lightly.  As a result, we have taken immense precautions to ensure we are environmentally conscious and implementing sustainable efforts. At all of our MOIC locations, including Miami, we have hired multiple cleaners that are constantly sweeping around the building as well as paying extra attention to the waterway entrance. Additionally, we have already begun the process of creating a biodegradable sprinkle for our Sprinkle Pool, that will be implemented in the near future. It is important to note that we have been consulting with top environmental specialists to learn more about how we can greater impact Miami’s sustainable efforts. Please advise that at Museum of Ice Cream Miami, the drainage systems have been layered with felt by Public Works, and our sprinkles are being collected in an area that is easily scoop-able by our sprinkle cleaners. Museum of Ice Cream is greatly invested in putting our best foot forward will continue to remind every guest to do a double shake upon leaving to ensure everyone has shaken off any sprinkles INSIDE of our walls. Our goal is to continue our sustainable efforts and amplify them to be even more efficient.

[Photos via @enricodall, @beckwhattheheck]