New Orleans has me encouraged. Despite the recent tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, the city has been rebounding, and in regards to waste management and the litter issue I was stunned to find the city in such sterling condition. The streets and sidewalks were clean, the citizens proudly putting trash in its place, and the city providing ample opportunities to keep beautification strong.
But it was the effort for the city’s busiest attraction that had me most impressed. Bourbon Street sees thousands of visitors each night, despite the season, weather or day of the week. With the street closed to traffic and visitors permitted to carry beverages from bar to bar, the sheer amount of people causes excess and uncontrollable waste: each night piles of wrappers, cups, cans and beads collected on the street, a terrible aroma could be detected by 3 a.m., and the end result was reminiscent of the mess seen after Live 8 on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
So you can imagine my surprise when, at 7 a.m. the following morning, it was gone.
Cleaning crews work continuously during the night and amidst the foot traffic, sweeping and cleaning until dawn. Pictured below, Bourbon Street was spotless, without a trace of the previous night’s activities, a clear example of the dedication the city puts forth to maintaining a cleanly appearance.
This attention to cleanliness shows that New Orleans is doing what is in the city’s power to keep both attractions and neighborhoods alike clean. Tourism is so important to the city, and the effort on Bourbon Street is one of the reasons it’s on the rise again in the Big Easy. Tourists in turn keep New Orleans’ economy stable, fueling jobs and revenue for more rebuilding projects and bringing more national attention to the city’s needs: while litter responsibility isn’t the sole reason New Orleans is recovering, it certainly contributes.
My next post will look into the company largely responsible for keeping the city so clean. According to residents, it took the assistance of this commercial waste management group to spark the litter turn-around.
