The fun of Mardi Gras usually stops when you get home. You look at the beads you were so happy to acquire at parades and Mardi Gras celebrations, and generally those beads go into a box in the hallway closet.
But a local organization is aiming to keep the good times rolling by collecting those old Mardi Gras beads and bringing new life to them. The Mardi Gras Bead recycling program at Arc Gateway’s Pollak Industries in Pensacola has been an annual tradition where workers recycle the beads to keep costs down for local Krewes.
Individuals with disabilities earn a paycheck and learn valuable skills by reorganizing and re-packaging the beads, which they then resell to Mardi Gras Krewes at a reduced price.
This means a lower cost for the Krewes and more smiles on people’s faces year after year.
To keep people from driving all the way to Pensacola to drop off unwanted beads, a Navarre business is stepping up to serves as a drop off point for all the unwanted beads.
Paraiso Hair Salon has stepped up to serve as the Navarre drop off point for the beads. The owner of the hair salon will then transport the beads to at Arc Gateway. Paraiso Hair Salon is located at 2274 High ay 87 South in Navarre.
The salon is open Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (850) 936-0090 for more information.
