Posted on Feb 03, 2025 | Blog,News
Let’s Work Together to Reduce Mardi Gras Waste & Litter
Parades are at the heart of Louisiana’s culture, but the litter and waste generated is unsightly and harmful to our environment if left unaddressed. Following parades, cups, food wrappers, toxic plastic beads, and disposable trinkets litter the streets and often end up in storm drains, polluting our waterways.
As a parade-goer, these are ways you can help:
- Pack a bag for your throws and a bag for your trash. Take your trash with you, sort out your recyclables, and dispose of everything properly.
- Organize a post-Mardi Gras cleanup to keep litter from clogging our storm drains and entering our waterways.
- Donate your beads and throws. Prevent beads from entering our waterways and landfills. You can donate them to groups like ArcGNO Mardi Gras Recycle Center (MGRC). In the New Orleans area and the Northshore, Grounds Krewe offers a list of sites accepting clean and unbroken beads, cups, toys, plush, doubloons, etc. Check with your parish government for local information.
As a krewe member or parade organizer, these are ways you can help:
Keep Louisiana Beautiful and French Quarter Festivals, Inc. created and published the Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook to provide practical ways you can plan to manage and reduce waste, increase recycling, and prevent litter at large outdoor events. The guidebook and workbook are free to use, and there is a section on reducing litter and waste at parades. Best practices highlighted in the guidebook include:
- Collect buy-in from krewe members on your commitment to reducing litter and waste.
- Focus on sourcing more sustainable, reusable, and easily recyclable throws like those sold by Grounds Krewe.
- Assign responsibility to float captains to be litter prevention ambassadors.
- Adopt a krewe policy to prohibit tossing anything from the floats except throws along the parade route.
KLB encourages outdoor event organizers in Louisiana to download the Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook for free. Event organizers can reach out to KLB with questions at info@keeplouisianabeautiful.org. Also make sure to check out the Greener Grounds Grant, a grant designed to support events’ sustainability goals.
