page_title: Environmental impact of Mardi Gras beads
hierarchical_section_title: Environmental impact of Mardi Gras beads
caption_attribution_description: Mardi Gras bead tree, North Shore Louisiana. Some say that all the Mardi Gras beads in everyone's attic is the real reason New Orleans is sinking.
context_page_description: When the parade season ended in 2014, the New Orleans city government spent $1.5 million to pick up about 1,500 tons of Mardi Gras-induced waste, consisting mostly of beads. This is a recurring problem every year for the city. In addition, the city must also deal with the environmental repercussions endured after Mardi Gras. Because they are not biodegradable and contain high amounts of heavy metals, Mardi Gras beads put the local
  environment and health of southern Louisianians at risk.
context_section_description: When the parade season ended in 2014, the New Orleans city government spent $1.5 million to pick up about 1,500 tons of Mardi Gras-induced waste, consisting mostly of beads. This is a recurring problem every year for the city. In addition, the city must also deal with the environmental repercussions endured after Mardi Gras. Because they are not biodegradable and contain high amounts of heavy metals, Mardi Gras beads put the local
  environment and health of southern Louisianians at risk.
caption: While thought to be decorative, Mardi Gras beads hanging on trees are harmful to the plant as a whole.
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