A float riders in the Zulu parade toss beads to the crowd on St Charles Avenue Tuesday, February 28, 2017. On Thursday, city officials said storm drain cleaners recovered 93,000 pounds of beads after a three-month cleaning project. File Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The storm drains of New Orleans got a thorough cleaning over the past few months and among the trash and debris, workers found 93,000 pounds of Mardi Gras beads, city officials said Thursday.

The 46 tons of beads were all found in the popular downtown thoroughfare on St. Charles between Poydras Street and Lee Circle, the Times-Picayune reported.


While the vast amount of Mardi Gras beads indicate good times were had in the area, city officials said it also means litter needs to be decreased. Overall, the $22 million, three-month clean-up project yielded 7.2 million pounds of debris in city drains.

"Once you hear a number like that, you never go back - so we have to do better," said Dani Galloway, interim director of the city's Department of Public Works, the New Orleans Advocate reported.