LSU Campus Sustainability and Student Government are saying “Throw me somethin, Mister!” this Mardi Gras season with collection boxes around campus for unwanted beads and throws.
The Mardi Gras bead collection drive will run through March 1, with boxes in the Student Union, School of Veterinary Medicine and residential halls. The beads will be donated to The Arc of Louisiana, a group that advocates for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We wanted to find a solution to the problem that exists with Mardi Gras,” said Campus Sustainability manager Lisa Mahoney.
Mahoney explained how harmful Mardi Gras celebrations can be to the environment. For instance, rainwater can bring beads and trash to storm drains, causing flooding in the streets and neighborhoods along parade routes. They can also be harmful to wildlife by increasing the amount of plastic in oceans.
In 2023, 2.5 million pounds of Mardi Gras waste were taken to landfills in just 11 days, the City of New Orleans reports. Along the St. Charles parade route in New Orleans, organizations such as Recycle Dat worked to clean up the route by picking up beads, recycling bottles, cans and glass.
“It’s noticeable how much less trash there is when people are just picking up and cleaning,” Mahoney said.
Anyone in the Baton Rouge community can donate their unwanted beads and throws in the boxes around campus to be collected and donated to The Arc of Louisiana’s Baton Rouge chapter.
“It is devoted to promoting and improving supports and services for people with developmental disabilities and their families,” reads The Arc’s website.
The Arc’s employees will repackage beads and throws donated on LSU’s campus and sell them to krewes for future use. This, Mahoney explains, minimizes some of the waste of Carnival season while supporting members of the Baton Rouge community.
Caroline Clifford, a sophomore history major from New Jersey, headed the recycling initiative. As a student employee of Campus Sustainability, Clifford said she was shocked by the number of beads she collected during Mardi Gras. Not wanting to throw them out, she created a better option. She even painted the collection boxes by hand, which took over a week.
“I am hoping that people will actually donate the beads that they don’t want instead of putting them into the landfill,” Clifford said. “There will always be Mardi Gras every year: there will always be a need for beads.”
Another specialty recycling program Campus Sustainability is currently hosting is a glass recycling program in partnership with the Student Society of Wetland Scientists, where recycled glass will be crushed into sand to be used in coastal restoration.
If students are looking to join environmental efforts on campus, Mahoney offers many options. Students can join Geaux Green, a student organization that promotes sustainability around campus, or get involved with the Campus Affairs and Sustainability branch of SG. Interested students can also contact Campus Sustainability at [email protected].
“It’s a way for us still to have fun and enjoy Mardi Gras, without the guilt of the impact it is having on the environment,” Mahoney said.
