Environmentalists from New Orleans are sounding the alarm. One of the most colorful carnivals in the world, Mardi Gras, causes ecological damage. It's all about plastic necklaces - an integral part of the celebration. In 2018 alone, more than 42 tons of these decorations were caught from sewage. Plastic made from oil does not decompose for centuries.
Dangerous traditions
Mardi Gras (from French - “Fat Tuesday”) marks the beginning of Lent, the end of winter and the arrival of spring. He is greeted brightly, noisily, with reckless fun. Since the beginning of January, about 75 parades have been held in New Orleans.
The holiday has not only cultural significance, but also economic. In 2014, the city treasury received more than $ 164 million in direct income. And the indirect one is much higher.
According to the tradition that dates back to the 19th century, participants in the processions through the streets of the city threw candy and walnuts painted in golden color to the crowd. Later they were replaced by garlands of multi-colored glass beads.
Glass brought from Japan and Czechoslovakia was expensive. In the 60s it was replaced with cheap painted plastic. He quickly took root. Now hundreds of thousands of oil-based plastic necklaces remain on the streets of New Orleans every year. They fall into sewage, and from them into open water bodies, causing irreparable harm to the environment.
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Time to sound the alarm
Last year, the New Orleans Sanitary Department collected over 1, 200 tons of street waste after the parades. The Public Works Office began a concerted effort to clean up clogged stormwater.
According to Rachel Skovira, head of the Council of Young Leaders, the main problem is that there is no formal system for recycling after the holiday. Even garbage cans are not enough.
Activist Cheris Harrison Nelson, a regular participant in the Mardi Gras celebration, is confident that only interacting with people can change an alarming situation. Everyone should understand that beads thrown into the crowd are a serious threat to the environment. Nelson runs community education projects.
Garbage collection as part of the show
Several nonprofit organizations in New Orleans have set about implementing ideas to turn Mardi Gras into a green holiday. For example, the Council of Young Leaders attaches volunteer teams to each procession. They give out trash bags and collect unnecessary plastic bottles and necklaces.
Atlas Beads includes cleaning up the script itself. The "Scavengers" team, as they call themselves, passes through the streets in carnival costumes with dancing and singing. They entertain the audience and at the same time collect the waste into the carts of their painted green bikes.
