So what is the meaning behind the beads at Mardi Gras? Here's what we know about why the beads were incorporated into this celebration and why the festival was created to begin with. Here's the ...

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.

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.