This year's Carnival season produced a record 1,363 tons of waste along New Orleans parade routes, a 24 percent increase from last year. The total equals the weight of more than 1 million king cakes. City officials and environmental groups point to larger crowds and abandoned items as key factors.
Crews collected the refuse during the five-week season that ran from January 6 to February 17. The haul included beaded necklaces, beer cans, plastic cups, and other items left by an estimated 2.2 million visitors, about 10 percent more than in 2025. Sanitation director Matt Torri told the City Council that the rise tied directly to the bigger turnout.
