Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads.

Way before COVID and its related mask requirements ... cinnamon roll and iced in the traditional Mardi Gras colors. Hidden within the cake is a plastic baby to represent the baby Jesus.

In each king cake hides a small, plastic ... mask, which comes from the European masquerade tradition. This is a fun (and stylish) choice to add to your ensemble. To really get into the Mardi ...

An estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads are tossed in Mardi ... Orleans Mardi Gras parade float must wear a mask. Seriously! 23. Mardi Gras masks are encouraged as a means to help revelers ...

The Krewe of Freret, the first Mardi Gras parade to completely outlaw plastic throws, is ready to roll, kicking off a party that is both one of the most beloved and one of the most environmentally ...

The little plastic baby inside modern king cakes ... facial coverings add to the magical spectacle that is Mardi Gras. While wearing a mask is an optional part of most Carnival celebrations ...

There are ways to recycle the cheap, plastic beads that have become synonymous with Mardi Gras, but many end up in landfills. They also clog up the city’s 100-year-old drainage system.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) In New Orleans, some African Americans mask in elaborate beaded and feathered Mardi Gras Indian suits ... Shimmery strings of plastic beads are ubiquitous, although ...

Mardi Gras parades have a reputation for making a lot of trash. But some organizers are trying to change that by banning one of the most colorful Mardi Gras traditions, the tossing of plastic ...