Catch And Release: What To Do With Your Leftover Beads

Hopefully by now, you’re feeling completely recovered from Mardi Gras. It took me a few days to start feeling human again and catch up on all of the sleep I missed. Of course, it was all worth it!

This weekend, I went through my stash of beads, throws and other random collectibles I caught during the parades. There’s some I want to keep, like the beads with commemorative medallions from my favorite Krewes, random catches that blink and enough to decorate my porch next year. However, there were still a ton of beads leftover. Literally a ton! Okay, maybe not literally, but enough to fill up two large shopping bags. 

I know that some people store them up in their attics but there’s also people like me who don’t have any storage in their attics. I could’ve thrown them out, billions of beads are thrown out every year, however there are a number of groups that want myy beads, as wellas yours. They’ll recycle them and put them to good use.

Recycle With The Arc Or The Joy Center @ St. Michael Special School

The Arc is a non-profit organization that helps people with intellectual disabilities. St. Michael Special School ishelps students with major learning disabilities.  Part of their fund raising activities is to resell beads. They sort, clean and then sell the beads to anyone who wants them, including a number of the krewes and floats for future Mardi Gras.

You can bring your beads to the Arc locations:

• 925 S. Labarre Rd., Metairie
• 5700 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans
• 333 Sala Avenue, Westwego
• 3406 Hessmer Avenue, Metairie

Other locations to recycle your beads:

• Dirty Coast (both locations - 5631 Magazine St. & 329 Julia St.)
• Fleurty Girl ( four locations - French Quarter/632 St. Peter Street, Magazine Street/3117 Magazine St., Lakeside Plaza/3313 Severn at 17th Street Ave, Mandeville/2885 Hwy. 190 Ste. C)
• Clearview Mall
• Pontchartrain Center, Kenner
• Neurological Rehabilitation Center, Covington
• Whole Food Locations (Magazine & Veterans)
• Mardi Gras World
• New Orleans Public Library (Children's Room/Main Library, Algiers Regional, Alvar Branch, Children's Resource Center, Martin Luther King Branch, Mid-City Branch, Nix Branch)

Check with your neighborhood school or favorite charity. A number of them are collecting them for everything from arts and crafts projects to fundraisers.