But some organizers are trying to change that by banning one of the most colorful Mardi Gras traditions, the tossing of plastic beads into the crowd. Matt Bloom with Member station WWNO takes us ...

If you attend a Mardi Gras parade, you can expect a few things: a visual spectacle, loud music, elaborate floats and costumes, excellent food — and beads. The beads are often cheap plastic ...

The Krewe of Freret, the first Mardi Gras parade to completely outlaw plastic throws ... what we're considering just junk beads to a young child… and their face lights up.

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.