NEW ORLEANS — There may be toilet paper remnants and beads in the trees on St. Charles Avenue and some other popular parading streets but the Krewe of Tucks says most of whatever remains of the former and the latter isn’t from its krewe.
In a little bit of an unusual move, the krewe has issued a press release saying that all it takes for Tucks’ TP to disappear from the trees is a good rainstorm, which, unfortunately, this year didn’t happen for nearly a month after the parade.
“For the last eight or nine years Tucks’ toilet paper has been marine toilet paper that disintegrates when it comes into contact with water,” said parade co-founder Lloyd Frischhertz.
The release says that a couple of other krewes also toss the TP around and that it isn’t known if those krewes TP is biodegradable.
An Eyewitness News crew examining the area found paper in the trees from Tucks, Thoth and the Krewe of Mid-City.
“Though some Tucks toilet paper remains in the trees after running the entire route, it is my appreciation less Tucks toilet paper remains that that of Thoth or Alla.
Jack Rizzuto, the captain of the Krewe of Mid-City, said TP found in trees belonging to his krewe is biodegradable as well. “That’s where Mardi Gras is trying to go.”
While the remnants of the throws in the trees proves to be somewhat charming for a few days, after several weeks, that charm wears off, one neighbor said Monday.
“I know it looks fun during the parade, but I think we would all like to see it maybe break down a little quicker once the parades are over,” said Eric Dixon, who lives in the Garden District.
Frischhertz also cited the beads that still adorn the trees and said that his krewe only tosses beads as about 10 percent of its throws.
Frischhertz said that the massive amount of beads in the trees can cause severe damage and even kill younger trees, including at least a couple near his office in the 1100 block of St. Charles Avenue.
“Tucks prides itself in being a good citizen of New Orleans with significant charitable contributions and a good neighbor of the St Charles Ave. community,” he said.
Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s Press Secretary, John Lawson, sent WWL-TV this statement two weeks ago in our story on the debris left in the trees along St. Charles Avenue:
Cleaning trees is not a part of the city's Mardi Gras cleanup duties, nor is it the krewes' duties. Rain typically washes the toilet paper off of the trees; however, as we have seen, there has been no rain in the forecast immediately following Mardi Gras this year for the first time in a while.
It is also important to note that Parks and Parkways has required that Tucks and all other krewes use biodegradable toilet paper.
Thus, the trees still look much the same as they did on the day of the parade, even as life under them eases back to normal.
A visitor from North Carolina said she thought the paper-covered trees seemed like an upbeat reminder of Carnival season at first glance. However, after learning that it would not be cleaned up, Sonya Twitty said the toilet paper seemed like a problem. When asked if it lessened her opinion of New Orleans, she answered no, joking that if “it’s still here in July that’ll be a different perspective.”