There are ways to recycle the cheap, plastic beads that have become synonymous with Mardi Gras, but many end up in landfills. They also clog up the city’s 100-year-old drainage system.

Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads.

But in recent years there’s also been increasing discontent with the enormous amount of plastic thrown during Mardi Gras and the ecological ... strategy to reduce the bead deluge.

On exhibit are several elaborate Native American-inspired “suits” of beads and feathers worn by the Mardi Gras Indians, or Black Masking Indians, a historically secretive group. Despite the ...

The Krewe of Freret Mardi Gras has announced it will not permit riders to throw plastic beads in 2025 in “the name of environmental sustainability, community responsibility, and thought leadership,” ...

From February 3rd to February 4th, the city collected 1,462 pounds of Mardi Gras items. Nguyen said they are on track to recycle more than ever this year. "We actually deliver beads and throws ...

Some Mardi Gras parades are banning one of their most colorful traditions - tossing out plastic beads. Organizers are trying to cut down on the millions of pounds of trash they make each year.