On-Route Parade Recycling Program:
The Recycle Dat! initiative continued its on-route recycling program during weekend day parades, allowing the public to recycle aluminum cans, glass, plastic bottles, and unwanted parade throws. Staffed recycling stations along Napoleon and St. Charles Avenues serviced receptacles placed along the route and distributed "crawfish sacks" for collecting clean throws to be recycled and reused. During the 2025 Mardi Gras season, this initiative diverted 15,457 pounds from landfills in the form of:
3,380 pounds of glass
7,641 pounds of beads and throws
3,536 pounds of aluminum
900 pounds of plastic bottles
Mardi Bar Wars: From February 1st through Mardi Gras Day, 23 New Orleans bars participated in a competition to recycle the most glass in partnership with Glass Half Full, Climate Culture, Pursuit of Happiness Farms, and Creole Contemporary. This initiative diverted 41,431 pounds of glass from landfills, converting it into sustainable sand for coastal restoration projects.
Off-Route Recycling Collection:
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center continued to recycle Mardi Gras beads at the parade parties for Bacchus and Orpheus, partnering with Osprey Initiative to divert 5,000 pounds of beads and throws and 1,500 pounds of glass from landfills.
The French Quarter Management District teamed up again with Glass Half Full to provide bead and throw recycling at hotels in the French Quarter. Together they diverted 9,894 pounds of throws and beads from landfills.
On February 14, 2025, the "Re-Cyclists" marching krewe paraded with Krewe of Bohème to collect 162 pounds of aluminum, 10 pounds of glass, and 6 pounds of plastic bottles from parade attendees in a fun and interactive way.
For more information on Mardi Gras sustainability, including year-round drop-off sites and krewes that are championing sustainable throws, visit https://recycledat.org.
