Mardi Gras in New Orleans has long been defined by the cascade of green, gold and purple beads thrown from floats. But as plastic beads have become more common and cheaper, some local organizers and researchers have pushed for alternatives that break down rather than pile up—especially after past flooding left large quantities clogging storm drains. This season, LSU researchers are offering one such option through krewes participating in a biodegradable-bead effort.
The LSU approach centers on the “PlantMe Beads,” which graduate student Alexis Strain said are made using 3D printing with a starch-based commercially available material called polylactic acid, or PLA. Each bead is formed as a large hollow sphere that holds okra seeds, with the design intended to make the necklaces plantable after use. Strain said the okra can help attract bacteria that support decomposition.
The work builds on an LSU effort described by Professor Naohiro Kato, an associate professor of biology. Kato said he began developing biodegradable beads in 2013 after talking to people concerned about the celebration’s environmental impact, and he described an earlier 2018 iteration using bioplastics derived from microalgae. He said the algae-based option faced production costs that kept it from competing with petroleum-based plastic beads, which led the team to experiment with 3D printing instead.
This year’s push is also tied to what organizers say spectators will accept. Freret co-founder Greg Rhoades said the krewe made “a radical step” last year by banning plastic beads from its parade, using the change to encourage throws that spectators value more than cheap plastic. He said riders told him the spectators no longer valued those beads as they used to, describing how they “dodge out of the way when they see cheap plastic beads coming at them.” This year, Rhoades said beads are back on the condition they are biodegradable rather than plastic.
Pontchartrain Conservancy executive director Kristi Trail described plastic beads as a “twofold problem,” first pointing to storm-drain clogging that can worsen flooding and then to beads that avoid drains and wash into Lake Pontchartrain. Trail said the organization is preparing to study microplastics in the lake and said there is no good data yet to determine whether other sustainability efforts have made a measurable impact. She also said the group generates about 2.5 million pounds of trash from Mardi Gras.
For the 2026 Carnival season, LSU students produced 3,000 PlantMe Bead necklaces and are giving them to three krewes in exchange for feedback on how the design is received by spectators. Kato said people have told him they like the uniqueness of the PlantMe Beads and want to keep them, even as he acknowledged that those who do keep them will be choosing an item that is intended to break down. He said that, for some spectators, the biodegradable bead may feel preferable even if it does not last as long as conventional petroleum-plastic beads.
Beyond PlantMe, the LSU lab is continuing to test other approaches. Strain said she is experimenting with a different 3D printer material that biodegrades quickly without requiring planting, while Kato said he is talking with local schools about turning bead-making into a community project that includes learning about bioplastics and plant biology. Kato also said he is still exploring ways to make algae-based bioplastics commercially viable, but he framed the broader goal as reducing waste rather than simply swapping one bead type for another.
Rhoades said Freret is moving in the same direction and described what it set out to do after its no-plastic change in 2025. He said the krewe was the first major parading organization to say, “No more. No more cheap beads. Let’s throw things that people value, that people appreciate, that can be used year-round.” He described Freret’s strategy of throwing items that spectators take home and reuse, including hats with the krewe’s logo, and he said other krewes have noticed the approach as they consider what to throw.