NEW ORLEANS — Red beans and rice, jambalaya, coffee and toothbrushes might not seem to have a lot in common with Carnival -- until you realize they’ll fly off of some floats this season.
The Grounds Krewe, a nonprofit that collects beads for ArcGNO before they can slip into storm drains, is now selling the throws to some krewe members.
It’s all part of move by the city and some krewes to have a greener Carnival.
The throws from the Grounds Krewe are pack in sealed bags and then put into fiber bags that look similar to potato sacks.
“It’s being wise with the choice of material we use,” said Brett Davis, the group’s director.
The City Council is in the final phases of writing an ordinance that would ban plastic bags from being tossed off of floats before, during or after parades.
The idea behind the Grounds Krewe’s throws is similar: possibly fewer plastic beads on the streets and in the gutters.
Cups they sell to krewe members are made from recycled products, and toothbrushes are biodegradable.
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Ramsey Green, the city’s deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure, said more than 1,000 tons of garbage are collected every year.
“This is very concerning, how much waste we produce,” he said.
Any change, no matter how small, can ultimately make a big difference, he said.
“It has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. And when you put that kind of a stress on the environment of New Orleans, on the government of New Orleans, you have to be thoughtful about what impact that has in a lasting way," Green said.
Davis said he hopes the idea of usable throws, such as popular local food, will catch on.
“We’re hoping to scale it up where it maybe even becomes part of the krewe packages, something they can offer as an alternative to beads,” he said.
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