BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Governor John Bel Edwards is encouraging Mardi Gras parade-goers to make sure to be responsible for their own garbage while going to parades.

“While there certainly are policy, enforcement and budgetary solutions to some of Louisiana’s litter problem, the fact of the matter is that litter is 100 percent preventable if we take personal responsibility for our surroundings – even when we’re out celebrating with friends and family at a Mardi Gras parade,” Gov. Edwards said. “There are simple steps all of us can take to reduce litter as we head to the parades, most notably, just bringing a trash bag to take all of your garbage home with you and not leaving wrappers, cups and cans on the parade route. Discarded trash can easily end up in our drainage system and cause storm water management and flooding issues down the line. We all want to let loose this Mardi Gras, but let’s make sure we keep our trash contained.”

In an effort to reduce litter across Louisiana, the governor recently announced the Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification Task Force. The task force aims to tackle the state’s litter problem through education and litter abatement activities.

Every fourth Saturday of the month has been designated by Edwards as Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s Love the Boot, Don’t Pollute Day.