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.
-Eastbank of Jefferson Parish
- ArcGNO, 925 Labarre Rd.
- Jefferson Parish Sanitation Department, 400 David Dr.
-Westbank
- ArcGNO Westwego Community Center, 333 Sala Ave
-St. Bernard Parish
- ArcGNO Chalmette Community Center, 3700 Jean Lafitte Pkwy.
-St. Tammany
- ArcGNO Northshore Community Center, 106 East 25th Ave.
Six stationary “Recycling Hubs” for cans, beads, & glass collection on Saturday 2/10/24, and Sunday 2/11/24 (during day parades only)
- Napoleon & Chestnut, open 10 AM until 5 PM (managed by REALCYCLE)
- Napoleon & St. Charles, open 10:30 AM until 5:30 PM (managed by Grounds Krewe)
- Foucher & St. Charles, open 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM (managed by The Green Project)
- 6th St & St. Charles, open 11:30 AM until 6:30 PM (managed by Glass Half Full)
- St. Andrew & St. Charles, open 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM (managed by Osprey Initiative)
- Harmony Circle & St. Charles, open 12:30 PM until 7:30 PM (managed by NOLACans4Food)
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 through February 26th, 2024. Donate during library hours.
Glass Half Full will have bins at the Courtyard New Orleans Downtown, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Monteleone, Hyatt Centric French Quarter, New Orleans Marriott, and Sheraton New Orleans.
Fun Fact! (For when you forget about your beads and find them three months from now)
New Orleans Sanitation Department accepts beads year round! Drop them off on the SECOND and FOURTH SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH at 2829 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVENUE – 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
St. Michael’s also takes donations YEAR ROUND!! They are located at 1522 Chippewa, New Orleans 70130. And, if you’re a parade rider, you can buy recycled beads and trinkets from them, too!
Be a good New Orleanian, and don’t throw them in the trash!