Mardi Gras beads creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans

It’s a beloved Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of beads or other trinkets to parade watchers. But environmentalists are worried about the huge amount of nonbiodegradable plastic beads that wind up mixed in all the other Mardi Gras trash. It has led to movements to collect and reuse plastic beads to reduce demand. And it has sparked a growing effort to replace beads with other items. One New Orleans nonprofit now markets a variety of alternative parade favors — including beads made out of paper, acai seeds or recycled glass; wooden yo-yos; and packets of locally-made coffee or jambalaya mix.

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