NEW ORLEANS, La. — While Mardi Gras is known for its party atmosphere, this year’s event in New Orleans can also be measured in its sustainability success.
For the second year in a row, New Orleans & Company partnered with 25 organizations, including the City of New Orleans, Grounds Krewe, and Can Manufacturers Institute with support from other nonprofits dedicated to sustainability to expand upon previous recycling efforts with the Recycle Dat! initiative.
The final 2024 numbers surpassed last season’s total: 4,288 lbs of glass were collected, combined with 4,564 lbs of aluminum cans and 12,729 lbs of Mardi Gras throws (includes 5,100 pounds collected at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, in partnership with Realcycle and 2,144 pounds collected through the Krewe of Reuse program by the Downtown Development District, French Quarter Management District, Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates, and Glass Half Full), diverting more than 10 tons of waste from landfills throughout the 2024 Carnival season, practically doubling last year’s numbers. Further, plastic bottles were collected for the first time in 2024 as a pilot run, recycling 306 lbs or approximately 8,300 bottles.
As a comparison, last year, the program helped the city recycle 1,500 lbs of glass, 1,475 lbs of aluminum, and 11,535 lbs of Mardi Gras beads and throws.
New Orleans & Company also commissioned the first economic impact study of Mardi Gras since 2009 to demonstrate the massive impact on the economy of the city and the state of Louisiana.
Key findings include that Mardi Gras’ impact on the New Orleans economy is nearly $900 million, which is more than a 300 percent growth since 2009, which equals 3.07% of the city’s gross domestic product. The City of New Orleans earns $2.64 for every $1 it invests in Mardi Gras and the net fiscal benefit accrued to the City of New Orleans is more than $28 million. According to the report, the 2023 event helped increase state tax revenues by more than $14 million.
