Recycle Dat! New Orleans
Making Mardi Gras More Sustainable
RECYCLE DAT! is a parade recycling project working to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills during Carnival Season. This Carnival Season, Grounds Krewe is again collaborating with New Orleans & Company, alongside presenting sponsors Entergy New Orleans and Dr Pepper, on Recycle Dat! - an initiative to promote a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Members of the public can expect to see recycling stations and bins along the Uptown Parade route during the two main Mardi Gras weekends, as well as other programming throughout the city.
Program Impact
Last year, the coalition recycled along the parade route 3,828 lbs of aluminum beverage cans, approximately 129,404 cans; 46,321 lbs of glass; 23,445 lbs of beads and throws, which includes 10,704 lbs collected through the Hotels Throw Recycling program by French Quarter Management District and Glass Half Full. In addition, the recycling hub run by Osprey Initiative collected plastic bottles for the first time of Recycle Dat! as a pilot run. They collected 905 lbs of plastic bottles, or approximately 24,563 bottles.
As the impact of the program expands, leaders of the initiative continue to see growing demand from the community to expand the work of Recycle Dat!
“We are excited to continue expanding the impact of Recycle Dat to new areas of the city, especially the Westbank.” said Brett Davis, Founding Director of Grounds Krewe. “This work is truly a coalition effort, made possible by strong partnerships and a growing network of supporters. With new sponsors joining us this year, we’re energized to keep building momentum and finding new ways to innovate and serve our communities.”
“The work this coalition has done to grow this program year over year has been great to watch and shows how our city continues to evolve and work to make Mardi Gras more sustainable. As residents and visitors continue to prioritize sustainable practices, we want to ensure New Orleans is leading the way,” said Walt Leger III, President & CEO of New Orleans & Company. “Every day, our team at New Orleans & Company works to make New Orleans a great place to live, work, visit and invest. Our involvement in this program embodies that work.”
“As Grounds Krewe’s first corporate partner, Entergy has been proud to play a role in helping to transform Mardi Gras into a cleaner, greener and more sustainable celebration,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Entergy Corporation. “Our support goes beyond financial, from helping to craft sustainable throws, to joining the volunteer recycling crews along the carnival parade routes, our employees enjoy partnering with RecycleDAT and Grounds Krewe to help laissez les bons temps rouler more sustainably.”
"Dr Pepper is thrilled to support Recycle Dat’s mission to build a more sustainable Mardi Gras,” said Sindhura Polasanapalli, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at Dr Pepper. “Together, we’re making it easier for revelers to do their part by recycling more, while reinforcing our commitment to responsible packaging and community stewardship. It's one more way we're partnering to drive sustainable progress."
“We are looking forward to once again working with RecycleDAT! to bring more sustainable solutions to Mardi Gras with Recycle World,” said Francisco Balbuena, Vice President of Sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company. “We're encouraged by the positive impact the interactive sorting and recycling hub helped make last year, and are eager to build upon that and to again help provide hands-on recycling education and activities right on the parade route. We value our longstanding community involvement in Louisiana and are honored to be part of such a storied event.”
“Every Can Counts U.S. is proud to sponsor Recycle Dat! for a third consecutive year. Our goal is to recycle as many used beverage cans along the Mardi Gras parade routes, as well as in New Orleans bars and restaurants, and at Recycle World, where we will exhibit an aluminum PixelCan art display,” said Scott Breen, President of Can Manufacturers Institute, lead organizer of Every Can Counts U.S. “When recycled, 97% of aluminum beverage cans become new cans, and on average, aluminum beverage cans go from recycling bin to a new can in less than 60 days. Best of all, the cans collected this year will be sold to a local scrap yard – EMR Metal Recycling, with the revenue generated donated back to Grounds Krewe, supporting future recycling efforts in New Orleans."
New Programming for RecycleDAT’s 4th Year!
Can & Bottle Sweep: This year, the RecycleDAT team will unveil a new ‘sweep’ approach to ensure maximum collection of bottles and cans. Following the conclusion of the King Arthur parade Uptown (Feb 8) and the NOMTOC parade on the Westbank (Feb 14), the RecycleDAT team, in partnership with Glass Half Full, will conduct a ‘sweep’ of the parade route, collecting all recyclable cans and bottles from the ground before the waste is cleared by the City of New Orleans Sanitation Department. This program also marks RecycleDAT’s impact expansion to the Westbank.
Raise the Bar: RecycleDAT, in partnership with Glass Half Full, Every Can Counts, and Climate Culture, is proud to introduce Raise the Bar Recycle-thon — a new chapter focused on collaboration, not competition. Rather than pitting bars or organizations against one another, Raise the Bar brings the community together around a shared goal: keeping Mardi Gras waste out of landfills and storm drains while investing back into New Orleans.Glass is recycled into sand for coastal restoration and cullet for making new bottles. Aluminum gets a second life. Small actions add up to real impact. Find participating locations here.
Signature On-the-Route Recycling and More Return to RecycleDAT!
Recycling Hub Location Information:
During weekend day parades, the public can recycle aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, as well as any unwanted parade throws, benefitting local non-profits. Staffed recycling stations along both Napoleon & St. Charles Avenue will service recycling receptacles placed along the route. Additionally, these stations will distribute crawfish sacks that can be filled with clean throws to be recycled and reused.
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The hub locations will run from approximately 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, Sunday, February 8, Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15.
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The full map of station locations is available here.
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Station 1: Camp St. & Napoleon Ave.
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Station 2: General Pershing St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 3: Constantinople St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 4: Delachaise St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 5: Sixth St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 6: Third St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 7: St. Andrews St. & St. Charles Ave.
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Station 8: Clio St. & St. Charles Ave.
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There will also be a special one-night route recycling shift on Muses Thursday.
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Interested volunteers who want to help at stations staffed by Grounds Krewe, Glass Half Full, Osprey Initiative, The Green Project, and Nola Cans 4 Food should sign up here.
Disclaimer: While the Recycling Hubs will accept empty glass bottles, it’s important to note that glass is not allowed on the parade route (City Ordinance Sect 54-404). We discourage parade goers from using them along the route.
Recycling Rewards: Parade-goers who turn in sets of 12 cans or bottles, or a full bag of unwanted parade throws at recycling stations during the route recycling program are eligible to win prizes as part of a sweepstakes from local sponsors. Prizes include local event tickets, restaurant and brewery giftcards, and more! See all rewards and how to participate here.
Recycle World: Sponsored by Coca-Cola and operated by Osprey Initiative, Recycle World is back for a second year, providing real-time collection and sorting of recyclables, as well as games, music, and a photobooth. The interactive station will be located at Laurence Square, on the corner of Napoleon and Magazine St. and will be open the two Saturdays and Sundays before Mardi Gras during the route recycling hours of ~10am – 6pm. Site details and photos from Recycle World 2025 are available here.
Aluminum PixelCan Art Wall: A Masterpiece of Sustainability: Revelers and parade-goers who visit Recycle World will also be able to contribute their used aluminum beverage cans to the creation of a PixelCan Art Wall supported by Every Can Counts. Designed by a local artist, the art installation will use more than 2,400 used beverage cans to reveal a Mardi-Gras themed image.
To learn more about Recycle Dat! please visit https://recycledat.org/.
