Mississippi Aquarium bead recycling programs ends Saturday

Saturday is the last day for the Mississippi Aquarium’s bead recycling program.

It began in February, just after Valentine’s Day, and in that time, at least 6,000 pounds of beads have been collected.

The aquarium partnered with the Arc of Greater New Orleans, MSU Coastal Research and Extension Service and Plastic Free Gulf Coast to offer bead and trinket recycling.

Public Relations and Communications Manager Jeff Clark says the response has been incredible with people dropping off sacks full of beads. The Beau Rivage contributed about 500 pounds alone.

Clark says keeping the plastic out of the ocean is so important to the environment. “Plastic by nature is just toxic. It’s made out of chemicals so we keep these toxic plastics from going in our waterways and eventually ending up in the Mississippi Sound, Gulf of Mexico. It’s also horrible for marine life. They don’t know they could look like fish; they could get tangled up in it. They could eat it.”

Clark says next week they’re dropping the beads off at the Arc of Greater New Orleans where they will be repurposed and recycled by adults with intellectual disabilities.