Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads.

Mardi Gras is famous for its dazzling parades ... After coming under fire earlier this year for U-turning on a plastic ...

There are ways to recycle the cheap, plastic beads that have become synonymous with Mardi Gras, but many end up in landfills. They also clog up the city’s 100-year-old drainage system.

Plastic imports remain ubiquitous but efforts to mitigate their damage may be catching on. "These efforts will help green Mardi Gras," said Christy Leavitt, of the group Oceana, in an email.

Some Mardi Gras parades are banning one of their most colorful traditions - tossing out plastic beads. Organizers are trying to cut down on the millions of pounds of trash they make each year.

Mardi Gras parades have a reputation for making a lot of trash. But some organizers are trying to change that by banning one of the most colorful Mardi Gras traditions, the tossing of plastic ...