This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and  Verite News , a nonprofit news organization with a mission to produce in-depth journalism in underserved communities in the New Orleans area.  When cleaning crews dug deep into New Orleans’ clogged drains in 2018, they pulled up leaves, mud — and 46 tons of Mardi Gras beads.  The sheer magnitude of waste accumulated over decades of Carnivals — and its impact on the flood-prone city’s drainage system — shocked many residents and city officials.  “Once you hear a number like that, there’s no going back,” then-Public Works director Dani Galloway said at the time. “So we’ve got to do better.” But nearly a decade later, New Orleans is generating more Mardi Gras garbage than ever.…