Right now, the algae beads are pricey at $5 per necklace. Plastic necklaces, when bought in bulk, can cost pennies. Both Kato and Milton agree on the need for a culture shift to embrace quality ...

If you produced bead necklaces by the millions, you might be able to sell them at only 2½ times the price of conventional plastic beads. Part of the problem is that the biodegradable material ...

But plastic beads weren’t always a part of Mardi Gras ... the child on the streets of New Orleans innocently sucking on his new necklace and young factory workers like Qui Bia are both exposed ...

On a Mardi Gras unlike any other, locals and tourists toast together again Recycle Dat primarily focuses on aluminum cans, glass bottles and the plastic bead necklaces that krewes fling at parade ...

The beads are often cheap plastic necklaces that come in a variety of sizes, patterns, and shapes. And they are tossed from floats or walkers in the parade to those enthusiastically cheering from ...

In the 1960s, plastic beads exploded onto the scene ... Now, hundreds of thousands of bead necklaces collect in the streets each year—and the beads have been found in the muddy sediments ...

Fundamentally, the cost of production is a big hurdle: about ten times higher than for regular plastic beads. Buyers willing ... up to make 3,000 of the necklaces for next year.

Noble Plastics in St. Landry parish has teamed up with LSU to create a new biodegradable bead. They're hoping to reduce the negative effects ordinary plastic beads have on the ecosystem and ...

Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads. Mardi Gras parades have a reputation for making a lot of trash. But some organizers are ...