Station 1 + 2 - 9:30am to 5:30pm
Station 3 + 4 - 10:00am to 6:00pm
Station 5 + 6 - 10:30am to 6:30pm
Station 7 + 8 - 11:00am to 7:00pm
**All times shift 1 hour earlier on Saturday, February 14th.
Parades begin at 11am each program day. See complete schedule here.
Station Set Up: See example below
Tent Set Up - VIDEO
Please have 3-4 staff members help set up the tent so that we can avoid damaging, ripping or dirty-ing anything. Make sure all metal areas are in contact with the canopy’s padded surfaces.
Ensure middle pole of tent is properly in the padded middle part of the tent
Do not forget to put tent weights on!
You can leave the canopy on the frame at the end of the day to make the next set-up easier
Feather Flag Set Up - VIDEO
The flag is secured onto the pole using the stretchy piece at the bottom of the flag fabric
Don’t forget to weight the flag down with 2 sand bags
Program Signs: Once tent is set up please hang the operated by and sponsored by signs off the two front tent legs with reusable zip ties.
Placement: Tents, feather flags and receptacles should go in the parking lane of the street on the opposite side of neutral ground from parade. It should not interfere with emergency vehicles or driveways.
Station Kit will container postcards to pass out to parade goers in area about the program. All QR codes lead to main program page with a link to Recycling Rewards info.
To enter rewards, parade-goers can:
Turn in a full bag of clean, unbroken throws/beads
Turn in 12 beverage containers (e.g., cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles
Take a photo at one of our stations and tag us on (@recycle_dat) on Instagram (limit 1 entry)
Way to Win 1 : Top Recycler People bring recycling to one of our 8 stations and staff let them enter their name and email into a digital sweepstakes that will have random drawings each day for winners. Folks can enter multiple times to improve chances and there will be a leaderboard that tracks top entrants, so the top 2 or 3 recyclers per day will win a prize.
Way to Win 2: Raffle Draws People bring recycling to one of our 8 stations and staff let them enter their name and email into a digital sweepstakes that will have random drawings each day for winners. Folks can enter multiple times to improve chances. There will be 7-10 raffle prizes per day & info can be found online or on Instagram.
Way to Win 3: Caught in the act rewards are station coordinators seeing someone recycle and instantly giving them a digital reward like a brewery buy one get one or free ice cream scoop (for kids). These vouchers are printed and will be left at every station.
1 and 2 will have a checkbox with terms and conditions already checked before they submit and a link to the contest rules. Once they submit their name and email they will get a confirmation email from Recycle Dat! that they are entered and it will have full program info, a prompt to recycle more for more chances and info about prizes + prize sponsors.
Recyclable Throw Items: Beads, toys, stuffed animals & unused cups. Public can also hand in these items in their own bags.
Non-Recyclable Throw Items: Broken, dirty, wet or contaminated throws.
Filling Throw Bags - Throw donation bags should be completely filled before they are put into yellow throw bins. If someone turns one in half or a quarter way full, it should be consolidated with another incomplete bag until it is full. We need to be efficient with the bags we have and moving a lower number of filled bags is much easier than hundred of partially filled ones. Leave bags in progress on top of throw bins.
Spectator Greeting: “Welcome! We are providing recycling services during the parades today. We have free throw donation bags. You can take the throw bag and bring it back any time to one of our stations until our closing time or turn it year round at any drop off point found through scanning the bag QR code. The program helps gives jobs to people with intellectual disabilities. No broken or dirty throws please! All the information about the program, what’s accepted, when and where are on the webpage you get to with this QR code.”
Recyclable Disposable Waste Items: Aluminum beverage cans only. No aluminum foil.
Aluminum Can Bag Checking - Recycling staff and volunteers should sort aluminum can bags for contamination during program hours. Since these will be brought to EMR, we cannot expect EMR to sort everything as it’s going into the can bailing machine. A visual inspection of the bag before it is “added to the pile” and reaching in to remove the occasional plastic water bottle, glass bottle etc. will be needed.
Glass Bottles: Glass will be collected accepted by the Recycle Dat program, but the use of glass containers on the parade route is prohibited. Glass goes in the blue rolling toter Glass Half Full Bins. It is too heavy to collect in Blue Laundry Bags, so the best way to roam and collect glass is with a cart or tilt truck.
Plastic Bottles: #1 clear plastic bottles only. No plastic cups unless they are clear #1. No flexible plastics. Bottles are the primary waste stream we want.
X-Frame Bins - Each station will have 26 x-frames to deploy. 13 on one rolling cart and 13 on another cart. Each bin will use branded signage hangers and reusable green “net bags”. Bins should be placed on the neutral ground side only in easy accessible and visible areas like corners and bike lanes. Do not let people take them into their tailgate area. When one is full bring an empty net bag to it, change it out and bring the net bag back to your station to empty into a super sack.
Cardboard Landfill cans will ONLY be used at stations for staff / volunteer usage. Please place 1-2 at behind the table at your station.
They require a weight in the bottom like a brick to keep from tipping over in wind. The black bags must be pinched into slots on the side or they will fall into the can. Use at your discretion and only put them out on no rain days. Leave full trash bag on neutral ground for city sanitation to collect after changing.
These reusable bags are used for walking collection with the can and bottles grabbers as they are a much more manageable size than the large x-frame bags. They are also used for lining the can backpacks.
Staff will primarily communicate via the Recycle Dat! 2026 WhatsApp Group. Please use this to ask questions, find direct contact numbers and upload your best captured photos and videos.
The recycling program will follow the actions of the parading Krewes. If they cancel or shift times, we will do so accordingly. If rain, but no lightning is forecast and the parade will roll, program coordinators will make a decision about throw donation bags being passed out as wet, sandy, dirty throws are not recyclable.
Staff are encouraged to wear festive clothing and costumes, but are not required to. They look great on our captured photo and video content and provide and engaging vibe to the public. Staff should wear a provided neon vest at all times during program hours and bring comfortable shoes.
There are city provided portable toilets on Napoleon Ave & Louisiana Ave. Station 2 at Sacred Heart will allow vested staff to use their portable toilets and Recycle World will have 2 in their fenced area.
Volunteers have been recruited to help the core staff conduct duties. There are two shifts available at each station, each program day meaning there are 64 shifts opportunities for up to 6 volunteers. To fill all slots would require 384 people! The current sign up list can be found here. Please give volunteers vests and instructions upon arrival. Keep them active with blue laundry bags and pickers or can backpacks! They will have signed a waiver through our sign up portal.
Station 1 + 3 + 4 + 6 + 8 will have two 8 x 16 x 8 GoMini storage containers to store equipment and recyclable material.
Combo locks are 0-3-0-9.
Always place lock just inside door and to the right when not in use so other staff can find it.
Always store supersacks or anything wet/liquidy down slope in the container. There is a small step up to get into the container which will require moderate lifting of recycling carts and bins to get inside.
Tents: 3 or 4 people advised for set up. Please do your best not to damage, rip or dirty anything. Make sure all metal areas are in contact with the canopy’s padded surfaces. Hang provided little black sand bags off each leg for high wind. Tent canopy is difficult to pack back into rolling bag. May need to leave on tent inside storage area for duration of program.
Flags: Use half filled sand bags for weighing down base even if no wind.
Program Signs: Once tent is set up please hang the operated by and sponsored by signs off the two front tent legs with reusable zip ties.
What is Recycle Dat!? A program aimed at reducing parade waste and promoting sustainability. It has several program components, sponsors and operators.
Where do the throws go? A variety of organizations that serve people with disabilities like ArcGNO, Saint Michael Special School and others. They sort, repackage and sell the throws to support their orgs. Recycle Dat! throw donation bags have a link for city wide, year round drop off locations.
Where do the cans and bottles go? Cans go to EMR, Glass to Glass Half Full and Plastic to Republic Services Recycling.
Can I have bag to collect cans and bottles? Unfortunately, we do not have those for the public as they often get contaminated and lost.
Can I have more than one Throw bag? We ask that you take one per group of 6 as supplies are limited. If you bring back a full bag we will give you another.
Can I turn them in to y’all after the night parade? Our stations close between 5:00 and 6:30pm. If you forget to turn in the throw bag, please bring it to any location found in the link on the bag. Cans & bottles can be brought to your home bin.
