The ribald and rowdy Krewe du Vieux annually selects a local notable to lead their parade through the French Quarter. This year, the honor has fallen to Franziska Trautmann, co-founder of Glass Half Full, a glass recycling organization , whom the krewe has dubbed “Glass Girl” for the occasion.

Back in 2020, Trautmann and fellow college student Max Steitz were lamenting the unrelenting loss of Louisiana wetlands, while sharing a bottle of wine. It was a eureka moment, as Trautmann and Steitz realized that by crushing wine bottles and other disposable glass into sand, they could relieve pressure on landfills and simultaneously help fend off coastal erosion.

Now, their blue recycling bins can be seen on porches across the city, as citizens save up jelly jars, condiment bottles and misma

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