3D Printed Beads For a ‘Greener’ Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is quickly coming up! Taking place this year on Tuesday, March 4th, the holiday is most associated with New Orleans, where the party does not stop between January 6th and the actual day. But there is another aspect heavily associated with both Mardi Gras and the Louisiana city which is less positive: the beads. Although an iconic symbol of the parades, these green, yellow and purple beads create an incredible amount of waste. But could 3D printing be the solution?

Throwing and catching these color beads is a beloved tradition during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, with the necklaces covering plants, buildings and people through the month of January and February. But these quickly become waste. Last year, discarded beads clogged storm drains, posing a danger to aquatic life in the areas and in 2014, the New Orleans government spent $1.5M to pick up about 1,500 tons of Mardi Gras-induced waste including beads. That’s why this year some Mardi Gras parades have even banned them.

A closer look at LSU’s 3D printed Mardi Gras beads

Now there is yet another possibility. A Louisiana State University (LSU) team has made 3D printed, biodegradable Mardi Gras beans. But that’s not all. The beads also include seeds, meaning that they will grow into Earth-friendly plants wherever they land and decompose.