When the parade is over, all those beads the crowd so eagerly called for seem to lose their shine. Rather than see the leftovers end up in a landfill, one New Orleans group collects and recycles them.

It has been illegal since 1999 for spectators at Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans to throw any objects, even beads, at float riders or other parade participants. It apparently will remain that way.

Mardi Gras has a reputation for making a lot of trash. Waste can add up to millions of pounds each year. But some Krewes are finding new ways to cut down on their environmental footprint. At 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,” ...

Every year, cities across the United States pause in March to celebrate an annual festival known as Mardi Gras. The celebrations are most concentrated in areas such as New Orleans, Mobile, and ...

NEW ORLEANS — The Krewe of Freret will stop throwing plastic beads during its parade in 2025.According to a news release, the krewe is working to reduce the environmental impact of Mardi Gras in ...

Mardi Gras is the most famous of carnivals, if not the biggest. "80 percent of the population of New Orleans belongs to some kind of [Mardi Gras] club," he said. Advertisement ...

“Throw me some beads, ... Keiki reach out for beads from a float along St. Charles Avenue during The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, Louisiana, Feb. 20, 2022.

In New Orleans for the Mardi Gras, I, surely, wasn’t ready for the mad ride and ceaseless exhilaration. Think 250 million ...

Mardi Gras crowds in New Orleans walk through beads and trash thrown from floats on the Endymion parade on Feb. 23, 2020. (Barry Lewis/Getty Images) By Andrea Sachs ...

No matter if you're based in New Orleans or not, decorating the outside and inside of your home is a fun way to celebrate the occasion. "I use old beads to decorate the front porch—using beads ...

Mardi Gras Beads Cast a Plastic Shadow Causing Environmental Fallout. New Orleans, steeped in the vibrant tradition of Carnival season, is grappling with environmental concerns.