After Mardi Gras, Where Do All the Beads Go?

Описание: (14 Feb 2018) Once the Mardi Gras parades have passed and the beads have been thrown, the cleanup begins.
This year two New Orleans organizations aimed to change things with a pilot recycling project to collect cans, plastic bottles and that ubiquitous Mardi Gras accessory dangling from fences, trees and balconies: beads.
Stephen Sauer, executive director of Arc of Greater New Orleans, which is working with Young Leadership Council, said the beads are toxic and have a tendency to twist and make knots.
Mardi Gras generates hundreds of millions of dollars and brings thousands of visitors to the city.
But it has an environmental impact. Earlier this year, the city announced it had cleared out 93,000 pounds (42,200 kilograms) of beads clogging catch basins.
Many residents are on board with the recycling effort.
"It's definitely not something you want laying around and decomposing in your yard," said resident Felicia Cary.
Resident Ivy Terrell said unless the beads are being used for art projects, they should be recycled and not thrown in the trash.
ArcGNO, which helps people with intellectual disabilities, already had a project where they accept, sort and resell beads to the krewes that put on the various parades.
But that relied on people bringing their beads after the parades were over.
This year, the two organizations went to the source.
They set up six recycling centers to collect beads, plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Volunteers also handed out bags for people to fill, and trucks traveled behind the parade to collect the recyclables.
Rainy weather curtailed the pilot project, but Sauer was still encouraged by the enthusiasm they encountered among parade goers.
This isn't the first attempt at a Mardi Gras recycling project. A previous volunteer effort called "Verdi Gras" was tried a few years ago.
ArcGNO also had a float where people could throw their beads back at the end of the parade, but that was discontinued out of safety concerns.
Sauer said interest in recycling now seems higher in the city.
The YLC aims to expand the recycling effort to more Mardi Gras parades next year and is working on recycling projects in conjunction with the other parades the city has throughout the year.

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