BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser urge Louisianans to do their part to reduce Mardi Gras waste and litter this carnival season. Whether you are a parade-goer, krewe member, or parade organizer, it's important to be environmentally conscious while celebrating.
“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,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Have fun and enjoy the parades, but don’t leave your trash behind.”
KLB Executive Director Susan Russell added, “Following parades, cups, food wrappers, toxic plastic beads, and disposable trinkets litter the streets and often end up in storm drains, polluting our waterways. Let’s all do our part to protect our environment by disposing of our trash and recycling properly."
During Mardi Gras 2023, the City of New Orleans reports 1,162 tons (2.5 million pounds) of trash was transported to the landfill in 11 days. In 2018, the New Orleans drainage system was found to contain 93,000 pounds of beads, a number that has undoubtedly grown since. At all Mardi Gras parades happening across Louisiana, litter is an issue that must be addressed.
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). Check with your parish government for local information.
As a krewe member or parade organizer, these are ways you can help :In 2023, 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 learn more about the Greener Grounds program during a webinar taking place on Wednesday, February 7, at 10 a.m. To participate in the webinar and request additional copies of the publications, please fill out and submit the online registration form.