Cleaning krewe: Recycling effort targets Mardi Gras trash
Published 2:27 pm Wednesday, February 14, 2018
In this Feb. 13, 2013 photo, people walk past debris debris on Bourbon Street in the early morning of Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Mardi Gras produces fun-filled days of merriment, joy and the occasional hangover. It also produces a lot of garbage. But this year two New Orleans organizations aimed to change that with a pilot recycling project to collect cans, plastic bottles and that Mardi Gras accessory found hanging on fences, trees, and balconies: beads.
NEW ORLEANS — Mardi Gras produces a huge amount of garbage in addition to days of fun and parties.
This year two New Orleans-area organizations tried to fix that with a recycling effort.
Workers sort Mardi Gras beads to recycle, at the Arc of Greater New Orleans, in New Orleans, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. Mardi Gras produces fun-filled days of merriment, joy and the occasional hangover. It also produces a lot of garbage. But this year two New Orleans organizations aimed to change that with a pilot recycling project to collect cans, plastic bottles and that Mardi Gras accessory found hanging on fences, trees, and balconies: beads.
Their pilot project aimed to collect beads, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
Rain canceled one day of the two-day pilot project and also lessened the bead haul on another day since wet beads degrade fast.
But organizers said they were encouraged by the outpouring of support and plan to expand the effort to other parades throughout the year.
New Orleans resident Dorie DeLuca says after parades there’s a huge amount of trash on the ground so recycling is a great idea.
