Now that you are all done with Mardi Gras – you may find yourself with a house full of beads and no place to put them. Instead of shoving them in your attic, and forgetting about them until you have to move, how about recycling your Mardi Gras beads?!
What about all the other throws that I don’t want either?
We’ve got your answers below!
Stuffed Animals
All those stuffed animals you just caught in the past 2 weeks are now piled in your corner. The ones with krewe names and dates are very hard to re-sell. Consider dropping them off at a local pet shelter. A homeless pup would love a little something to snuggle with.
Another suggestion: find a local women’s and children’s shelter that can use them.
ArcGNO will always take them off your hands too.
Mardi Gras Cups
Caught more cups than you need? Well, don’t throw them into your recycling bin. They won’t be recycled – they will only be sorted and then sent to a landfill. Here are our suggestions: donate them to ArcGNO or find a local art studio that needs them! Lots of artists use the cups for their paintbrushes.
Mardi Gras Beads
If you’re real crafty, you can upcycle the beads into future costumes and wreaths. If crafting isn’t your game, then you need to donate them to ArcGNO. ArcGNO takes your unwanted Mardi Gras throws and turns them into jobs. They employ people with intellectual disabilities to sort through, repackage, and resell your discarded throws. With locations ALL over the metro area, there is no reason you can’t drop them off.
-Eastbank of Orleans Parish
- ArcGNO Uptown Community Center, 1771 Nashville Ave.
- Whole Foods, 5600 Magazine St.
- New Orleans Sanitation Department, 2829 Elysian Fields (year-round, but 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month from 8am – 1pm)
-Eastbank of Jefferson Parish
- ArcGNO, 925 Labarre Rd.
- Jefferson Parish Sanitation Department, 400 David Dr.
-Westbank
- ArcGNO Westwego Community Center, 333 Sala Ave
- Jefferson Parish Sanitation, 6440 Lapalco
-St. Bernard Parish
- ArcGNO Chalmette Community Center, 3700 Jean Lafitte Pkwy.
-St. Tammany
- ArcGNO Northshore Community Center, 2810 8th St., Mandeville
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will continue recycling beads at Endymion, Bacchus, and Orpheus parade parties.
New Orleans Public Libraries will have ArcGNO donation bins. Donate during library hours.
Glass Half Full will have bins at various hotels!
If you’d like to BUY recycled beads and throws, contact St. Michael’s Special School!
Be a good New Orleanian, and don’t throw them in the trash!