GETTING TRASHED AT MARDI GRAS Garbage Cleanup During Carnival By Kathy Bradshaw The celebrations also leave behind a combined total of approximately 1,250 tons (2.5 million pounds) of garbage in the streets—comprised of discarded throws and parade-viewing trash, such as empty food and drink containers. To put that in language that partiers can relate to, the trash produced in a single Mardi Gras season in New Orleans has the equivalent weight of about 15,580 full beer kegs. New Orleans imports more than 25 million pounds of plastic beads every Mardi Gras (the approximate weight of the Eiffel Tower), and one super krewe estimates that its riders toss 15 million throws during its parade alone. With that quantity of assorted novelties being flung around, not all of them can be lucky enough to find their forever home in some parade-goer’s display case or storage box in the attic, so many end up rejected in
the streets. If one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure, New Orleans streets are an absolute treasure chest full of riches imported from China. Throughout Carnival season, main thoroughfares such as St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street become a regular stew of discarded stuffed animals, used drink cups, enough beads to swim in, and a hodgepodge of all things plastic, plush, light-up, hanging, flashing, flying, sippable, wearable, and cuddly. And it’s up to the New Orleans Department of Sanitation, with the help of other local organizations, to remove all this debris and clean our streets right down to the potholes underneath. Here’s a little trash talk to explain how it all works. The trash-removal process is pricey and complicated, involving many moving parts that must work together in harmony, like an orchestra performing
ROBERT WITKOWSKI
Mardi Gras is a festive time for many, with all those parades and parties, balls and beads. But when all the fun is over, revelers have more than just fond memories, glittery souvenir shoes, and several pounds of king cake weight left to show for it.
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Mardi Gras Manual | Where Y'at Magazine
