February 16, 2023 | From City of New Orleans
CITYWIDE "RECYCLE DAT!" INITIATIVE USHERS IN ECO-FRIENDLY MARDI GRAS 2023
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today announced that "Recycle Dat!," the City of New Orleans glass, aluminum can and parade throws recycling program, cleaned up on its way towards an incredibly successful first weekend. During the first major weekend of Mardi Gras parades, 700 pounds of glass, 505 pounds of aluminum (roughly 17,140 cans) and 2,200 pounds of beads and throws were collected and recycled.
"While Mardi Gras is meant to be a time of celebration and indulgence, it doesn't mean that we can't make the season healthier for our environment,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “The efforts of our partners and our commitment to protecting New Orleans and our environment enabled us to accomplish so much during the first weekend of 'Recycle Dat!' Thanks to the volunteers, residents and all of you who continue to make the conscious effort to strive for a more sustainable Mardi Gras. We look forward to building upon the success of the 'Recycle Dat!' program for many years to come."
"Recycle Dat!," which was recently featured in the Washington Post, is led by NOLA Ready, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS) and New Orleans and Company. The pilot program brings together tourism industry partners and local non-profit organizations dedicated to resilience and sustainability to expand upon Arc of Greater New Orleans’ (ArcGNO) and Grounds Krewe’s well established Carnival recycling efforts.
“NOLA Ready is proud to partner with ORS to answer the call to make Mardi Gras more sustainable and eco-friendly,” said Anna Nguyen, Public Engagement Director, New Orleans Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, which oversees the NOLA Ready campaign. “We couldn’t achieve this goal without all of our partners, our wonderful, hard-working volunteers and the residents willing to take the extra step to recycle while having fun. Mayor Cantrell’s commitment to a resilient New Orleans is unmatched, and we’re happy to continue collaborating with this administration on projects that do just that.”
This program will continue Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19 during the daytime parades. Volunteers will be distributing free recycling bags for throws, aluminum cans and plastic bottles along the Uptown parade route on St. Charles Avenue and will collect the bags after the last daytime parade passes. Ten stationary “can stations” for aluminum can collection will be located between Napoleon Avenue and Louisiana Avenue.
Four stationary recycling hubs will also be located near Sacred Heart Academy, New Orleans & Company, Greater New Orleans Foundation and Gallier Hall for parade goers to drop off recyclables, glass and throws between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
All aluminum cans collected along the Uptown parade route will be delivered to EMR Metal Recycling, which will pay market rate for the cans. The revenue generated will be distributed to three local charities: Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Louisiana SPCA and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, with Can Manufacturers Institute doubling the amount raised up to $5,000. Community members are also encouraged to bring empty cans to the EMR Metal Recycling Mid-City location (2525 Lafitte St.). Participating residents can either receive payment via personal check or donate the value to one of the three partner charities.
To volunteer, please visit ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras/recycling/.
- Volunteer shifts will last three hours and are during the daytime parades on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19
- Volunteers will distribute bead recycling bags and staff recycling hubs along the route
- Interested individuals must create a Better Impact account with NOLA Ready to view the available volunteer shifts
- Volunteer groups who are interested in signing up multiple individuals at once must reach out directly to Bianchi Hughes at bianchi.hughes@nola.gov or (504) 881-9410
Residents, visitors and interested volunteers are encouraged to visit ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras/recycling for more information on Mardi Gras sustainability, including drop-off sites and krewes that are championing sustainable programs.
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