NEW ORLEANS – This Carnival Season, Grounds Krewe is again collaborating with New Orleans & Company and the City of New Orleans’ Office of Resilience & Sustainability, alongside presenting sponsors Entergy Corporation and Dr Pepper, for RecycleDAT! – an initiative to promote a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Members of the public can expect to see recycling stations and bins along the Uptown parade route during the day for parades on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, as well as other programming throughout the city.
Last year, the coalition recycled over 70,000 pounds of parade waste, including 46,321 pounds of glass, 3,828 pounds of aluminum (approximately 129,404 beverage cans), 905 pounds of plastic (approximately 24,563 plastic bottles), and 23,445 pounds of beads and throws, which includes 10,704 pounds collected through the Hotel Throw Recycling program.
As the impact of the program expands, leaders of the initiative continue to see growing demand from the community to expand the work of RecycleDAT!
“We are excited to continue expanding the impact of RecycleDAT! to new areas of the city, especially the Westbank,” said Brett Davis, Founding Director of Grounds Krewe. “This work is truly a coalition effort, made possible by strong partnerships and a growing network of supporters. With new sponsors joining us this year, we’re energized to keep building momentum and finding new ways to innovate and serve our communities.”
“The work this coalition has done to grow this program year over year has been great to watch and shows how our city continues to evolve and work to make Mardi Gras more sustainable. As residents and visitors continue to prioritize sustainable practices, we want to ensure New Orleans is leading the way,” said Walt Leger III, President & CEO of New Orleans & Company. “Every day, our team at New Orleans & Company works to make New Orleans a great place to live, work, visit and invest. Our involvement in this program embodies that work.”
“RecycleDAT! demonstrates how strong partnerships can translate big sustainability goals into real, visible impact on the ground,” said Anna Nguyen, External Affairs Administrator of the City’s Office of Resilience & Sustainability. “The City is proud to help bring this effort to life by coordinating across departments and supporting long term waste diversion strategies that keep Mardi Gras vibrant and responsible. By working together, we are keeping valuable materials out of landfills, protecting our neighborhoods, and making sure the good times roll in a way that cares for New Orleans today and for the future.”
“As Grounds Krewe’s first corporate partner, Entergy has been proud to play a role in helping to transform Mardi Gras into a cleaner, greener and more sustainable celebration,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Entergy Corporation. “Our support goes beyond financial, from helping to craft sustainable throws, to joining the volunteer recycling crews along the carnival parade routes, our employees enjoy partnering with RecycleDAT! and Grounds Krewe to help laissez les bons temps rouler more sustainably.”
“Dr Pepper is thrilled to support RecycleDAT!’s mission to build a more sustainable Mardi Gras,” said Sindhura Polasanapalli, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at Dr Pepper. “Together, we’re making it easier for revelers to do their part by recycling more, while reinforcing our commitment to responsible packaging and community stewardship. It’s one more way we’re partnering to drive sustainable progress.”
“We are looking forward to once again working with RecycleDAT! to bring more sustainable solutions to Mardi Gras with Recycle World,” said Francisco Balbuena, Vice President of Sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company. “We’re encouraged by the positive impact the interactive sorting and recycling hub helped make last year, and are eager to build upon that and to again help provide hands-on recycling education and activities right on the parade route. We value our longstanding community involvement in Louisiana and are honored to be part of such a storied event.”
“Every Can Counts U.S. is proud to sponsor RecycleDAT! for a third consecutive year. Our goal is to recycle as many used beverage cans along the Mardi Gras parade routes, as well as in New Orleans bars and restaurants, and at Recycle World, where we will exhibit an aluminum PixelCan art display,” said Scott Breen, President of Can Manufacturers Institute, lead organizer of Every Can Counts U.S. “When recycled, 97% of aluminum beverage cans become new cans, and on average, aluminum beverage cans go from recycling bin to a new can in less than 60 days. Best of all, the cans collected this year will be sold to a local scrap yard – EMR Metal Recycling, with the revenue generated donated back to Grounds Krewe, supporting future recycling efforts in New Orleans.”
New Programming for RecycleDAT!’s 4th Year!
Can & Bottle Sweep: This year, the RecycleDAT! team will unveil a new ‘sweep’ approach to ensure maximum collection of bottles and cans. Following the conclusion of the King Arthur parade Uptown (Feb. 8) and the NOMTOC parade on the Westbank (Feb. 14), the RecycleDAT! team, in partnership with Glass Half Full, will conduct a ‘sweep’ of the parade route, collecting all recyclable cans and bottles from the ground before the waste is cleared by the City of New Orleans Sanitation Department. This program also marks RecycleDAT!’s impact expansion to the Westbank.
Raise the Bar: Throughout Carnival season, bars and other local establishments have the opportunity to participate in glass and aluminum recycling through the Raise the Bar program, a partnership between RecycleDAT!, Glass Half Full, Every Can Counts U.S., and Climate Culture. Rather than pitting bars or organizations against one another, Raise the Bar brings the community together around a shared goal: keeping Mardi Gras waste out of landfills and storm drains while investing back into New Orleans. More information on joining the program and a map of participating locations around the city can be found here.
Signature On-the-Route Recycling and More Return to RecycleDAT!
Recycling Hub Location Information:
During weekend day parades, the public can recycle aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, as well as any unwanted parade throws, benefitting local nonprofits. Staffed recycling stations along both Napoleon Ave. & St. Charles Ave. will service recycling receptacles placed along the route. Additionally, these stations will distribute free, branded crawfish sacks that can be filled with clean throws to be recycled and reused.
- The hub locations will run from approximately 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, Sunday, February 8, Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15.
- The full map of station locations is available here.
- Station 1: Camp St. & Napoleon Ave.
- Station 2: General Pershing St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 3: Constantinople St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 4: Delachaise St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 5: Sixth St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 6: Third St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 7: St. Andrews St. & St. Charles Ave.
- Station 8: Clio St. & St. Charles Ave.
- There will also be a special one-night route recycling shift on Muse’s Thursday.
- Interested volunteers who want to help at stations staffed by Grounds Krewe, Glass Half Full, Osprey Initiative, The Green Project, and Nola Cans 4 Food should sign up here.
Disclaimer: While the Recycling Hubs will accept empty glass bottles, it’s important to note that glass is not allowed on the parade route (City Ordinance Section 54-404). We discourage parade goers from using them along the route.
Recycling Rewards: Parade-goers who turn in sets of 12 cans or 12 bottles, or a full free, branded crawfish sack of unwanted parade throws at RecycleDAT! stations are eligible to win prizes as part of a sweepstakes from local sponsors. Prizes include local event tickets, hotel stays, restaurant and brewery giftcards, and more! See all rewards and how to participate here.
Recycle World: Sponsored by Coca-Cola and operated by Osprey Initiative, Recycle World is back for a second year, providing real-time collection and sorting of recyclables, as well as games, music, and a photobooth. Parade-goers who visit Recycle World will also be able to contribute their used aluminum beverage cans to the creation of a PixelCan Art Wall supported by Every Can Counts U.S.. Designed by local artist Erika Moore, the art installation will use more than 2,400 used beverage cans to reveal a Mardi-Gras themed image. The interactive station will be located at Laurence Square, on the corner of Napoleon Ave. and Magazine St. and will be open February 7th, 8th, 14th, and 15th during the route recycling hours of ~10am – 6pm. Site details and photos from Recycle World 2025 are available here.
To learn more about RecycleDAT! please visit https://recycledat.org/.
RecycleDAT! Program Sponsors & Operating Partners:
Interested media organizations are invited to join RecycleDAT! Media Days on February 8 and February 14 from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. at Recycle World (Laurence Square at the corner of Napoleon Ave. & Magazine St.). Please confirm your attendance by emailing info@groundskrewe.org.