Litter targets this Mardi Gras season

BY MARY CATHARINE MARTIN
THE DAILY IBERIAN
Published/Last Modified on Friday, February 13, 2009 2:00 PM CST

People may look festive in the beads thrown from floats during Mardi Gras parades, but streets don’t look too nice in the refuse that frequently accompanies those celebrations.

In an effort to keep everything looking as nice as possible, Keep Lou-isiana Beautiful offered tips to keep this Mardi Gras clean, including bringing a trash bag to collect your trash, buying and recycling drinks in aluminum and plastic containers, recycling beads and bringing something like a film canister in which to dispose of cigarette butts.

“With the Mardi Gras season around the corner, there are lots of ways people can help,” said Shelley Greer Rankin, executive director of Keep New Iberia Beautiful.Rankin said the best way to have a litter-free Mardi Gras is to have containers, for recycling, as well, around properties and places gatherings occur and to encourage family and friends to put things in the appropriate place.

“If they see someone tossing stuff, bring it to their attention nicely,” said Rankin. “Most people will pick it up if you bring it to their attention in a very nice way.”

If you can’t get their attention, you can also always pick it up behind them, she said.

“Personally, be aware of your surroundings,” Ran-kin said. “Make those coming to your gatherings aware things can and will be recycled. Look around for trash cans and trash.”