Beyond the joyful revelry, New Orleans has been grappling with a growing post-Mardi Gras problem: an astonishing amount of waste. For the past decade, the city’s iconic weeks-long celebration has generated an average of 1,123 tons of trash annually, a figure that’s become a significant concern for the Sanitation Department.
Brett Davis, who leads the nonprofit Grounds Krewe dedicated to fostering a more sustainable Carnival, doesn’t mince words: ‘It’s an environmental catastrophe.’
New Orleans, already at high risk from climate change due to hurricanes and coastal erosion, temporarily sets these environmental worries aside during the exuberant weeks of parading, which typically conclude on Mardi Gras Tuesday. As floats pass, riders shower enthusiastic crowds with plastic beads, cups, doubloons, and foam footballs. What feels like a prize in the moment quickly turns into mountains of waste within days, whether it’s caught or simply left discarded on the streets and draped over ancient oak trees.
However, a determined coalition of nonprofit organizations, city officials, and scientists is now working to transform this tradition. Their efforts span from encouraging bead reuse to a broader cultural shift, aiming to make Carnival celebrations environmentally conscious.
Early morning in New Orleans during Carnival in 2023.
Credit: Grounds Krewe
The issue extends far beyond overflowing landfills. A 2013 study revealed that over 60 percent of Mardi Gras beads contained dangerous levels of lead. Furthermore, in 2018, an alarming 46 tons of beads were found blocking the city’s crucial catch basins, which are vital for preventing floods.
Kevin Ferguson, chief of staff for the New Orleans mayor, highlighted the historical perspective: ‘The city used to measure the success of Mardi Gras based on the trash collected.’ He emphasized the urgent need for change, stating, ‘But there are a lot of reasons we have to make a change.’
Historically, Mardi Gras was not always such a wasteful event. Lydia Blackmore, a curator at the Historic New Orleans Collection, noted that in the 1920s, social clubs (Carnival krewes) threw glass beads from floats, but ‘not nearly in the tonnage we have gotten to know.’
Burlap throw packets of jambalaya mix from the Krewe of Iris; and cans collected by Recycle Dat in 2025.
The landscape began to shift in the 1970s with changes in global trade, making inexpensive goods from China readily available in the U.S. Consequently, Carnival krewes started offering these mass-produced novelties in increasingly large ‘throw packages’ to their members.
Due to city regulations that forbid sponsors or items with logos during Carnival, these sales became a crucial funding source for the elaborate modern Mardi Gras spectacle, including fog machines, visiting bands, and increasingly grand floats. Today, so many trinkets deluge the city that a sense of ‘bead fatigue’ has become common.
Mr. Davis recalled, ‘When I was a kid, we caught everything that came off the floats. There was a big hoopla about who was going to get it.’ He lamented the current situation: ‘Now it’s a carpet, a river of waste.’
Davis launched his Mardi Gras cleanup initiative in 2018, initially collecting, sorting, and repackaging beads with the help of a local organization supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. By the 2023 season, his group, Grounds Krewe, joined Recycle Dat, a coalition spearheaded by the city’s tourism association and the mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability.
By the 2025 Carnival season, the Recycle Dat coalition had successfully collected an impressive 74,500 pounds of bottles, cans, plastic, and parade throws—a significant increase from the 8,130 pounds collected just two years prior.
Don Bates, owner of Osprey Initiative and a key member of the coalition, proudly stated, ‘It’s very ethical recycling. Everything we sort has a final destination already identified.’
Despite these achievements, Davis realized that simply reusing beads meant ‘recirculating toxic, plastic junk no one wants.’ He has since shifted his focus to waste prevention, developing a diverse catalog of sustainable and desirable parade throws.
His efforts have already generated over $1 million in sales of these unique, eco-friendly items, which include local favorites like jambalaya mix, native flower starter kits, and even plant-based glitter. Davis has also mobilized a dedicated team of volunteers, from schoolchildren to retirees, to assist with packaging.
While Davis acknowledges that he can’t realistically ‘compete with the cheapest things on the planet,’ he believes that introducing scarcity will heighten appreciation. Historically, the most sought-after throws are indeed the rarest, such as the intricately hand-decorated coconuts from the Zulu parade and the dazzling, high-heeled shoes from Muses.
However, achieving truly sustainable Carnival celebrations requires transforming the ubiquitous Mardi Gras beads themselves. Fortunately, two dedicated scientists at Louisiana State University are tackling this very challenge.
Dr. Naohiro Kato, an LSU plant molecular biologist, was inspired to act after witnessing the overwhelming volume of plastic necklaces. He initially experimented with algae-based beads but found them too costly to produce. A breakthrough came when he discovered he could use 3D printers to craft beads from plant-derived plastics, moving away from fossil fuels. His innovative ‘PlantMe’ beads now contain okra seeds, designed to decompose in soil within two to three years. (As a bonus, okra is a common ingredient in gumbo.) What once cost $50 per necklace can now be produced for under 50 cents each.
Adding to these efforts, Grounds Krewe has partnered with Qinglin Wu, an engineer at LSU’s School of Renewable Natural Resources, to create beads from bagasse, a byproduct of sugar cane processing. This research is partially sponsored by Rex, one of Carnival’s oldest krewes. Furthermore, the Krewe of Freret has pledged to discontinue traditional plastic beads and, this year, proudly distributed Dr. Kato’s PlantMe beads for the first time.
The impact of making Mardi Gras sustainable is extending far beyond the Carnival season itself. Anna Nguyen from the mayor’s sustainability office noted that an increasing number of local festivals are now adopting recycling and composting practices.
Ultimately, Dr. Kato envisions these plantable beads transforming the relationship between paradegoers and their throws. He wisely stated, ‘To have beautiful flowers, people will have to nurture their beads’ seedlings. You have to take care of what you receive.’