WEBVTT - What Happens to Mardi Gras Beads?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey there,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Visiting New Orleans during Marty

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<v Speaker 1>Gras is certainly on my list. The food is amazing,

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<v Speaker 1>and by all accounts, the costumes are dazzling, the energy exciting,

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<v Speaker 1>and the music phenomenal. And of course there are those colorful,

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<v Speaker 1>exactly gaudy enough beads, tons and tons of beads. People

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<v Speaker 1>throw them a passers by and tossed them from the

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<v Speaker 1>elaborate parade floats to be worn and treasured as souvenirs.

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<v Speaker 1>The beads are as much a hallmark of Marty Gras

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<v Speaker 1>as the Kingcake, also known as throws. They've been around

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<v Speaker 1>since the nineteen twenties. That's wheen a few of the

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<v Speaker 1>crews the groups that planned the celebrations parades started handing

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<v Speaker 1>glass beads out to parade goers lining the streets. But

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<v Speaker 1>these festive beads have caused quite a severe headache for

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<v Speaker 1>the city's public works department. Since September, workers have been

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<v Speaker 1>painstakingly cleaning tons of discarded Marty Gras beads from the

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<v Speaker 1>city's catch basins. In fact, they've sucked out some than

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<v Speaker 1>pounds that's forty six tons or forty two metric tons

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<v Speaker 1>along just a five blocks stretch of the popular downtown

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<v Speaker 1>parade route on St. Charles Avenue. Private contractors working under

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<v Speaker 1>a seven million dollar grant have collected nearly seven point

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<v Speaker 1>two million pounds that's three thousand, two hundred and sixty

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<v Speaker 1>five metric tons of debris from fifteen thousand of the

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<v Speaker 1>city's sixty eight thousand catch basins. The money is part

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<v Speaker 1>of a twenty two million dollar emergency project by the

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<v Speaker 1>city's Department of Public Works designed not only to clean

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<v Speaker 1>but also fixed the city's damaged basins. Nearly twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>vacuum trucks started cleaning them after widespread flooding last summer.

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<v Speaker 1>Marty Gras will be in full swing in the weeks

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<v Speaker 1>leading up to Fat Tuesday, which falls on February eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>and the city is hoping residents and visitors will help

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<v Speaker 1>prevent beads and other debris from clogging the drains. To

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<v Speaker 1>that end, the city has been teaching people how to

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<v Speaker 1>clean the catch basins in their own neighborhoods, and city

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<v Speaker 1>workers are also considering covering the basins with so called

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<v Speaker 1>gutter buddies. At least until Marty Grazo. For these are

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<v Speaker 1>filters that look a bit like pool noodles and are

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<v Speaker 1>made with synthetic fibers woven to allow water to flow

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<v Speaker 1>straight through, but to catch sediment and debris. And since

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<v Speaker 1>they're washable and reasonable, they might be a wise investment

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<v Speaker 1>for future years. So, as they say in New Orleans,

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<v Speaker 1>laze le bon or let the good times roll. Just

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<v Speaker 1>don't let those Marti grab aids roll down the city's drains.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by John Partano and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tristan McNeil. For more on this and lots of other

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<v Speaker 1>festive topics, visit our home planet, how stuff works dot

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<v Speaker 1>com