Top Ten Cleanup Tips

There is no garbage collection service at Burning Man. Every Camp is responsible for its refuse. We are ALL responsible for trash in Black Rock City. Trash can be ANYTHING you bring here: tent stakes, bottle caps, ashes, orange peels, cigarette butts, pistachio shells, and boa fibers — even sequins. When you see trash on the ground in BRC, pick it up and take it with you! Better yet, prevent trash from happening. Observe this simple rule: Don’t let it hit the Ground.

~ Only human waste and one-ply toilet paper in portable toilets.
~ Put a weight on or tie down anything that can blow away.
~ Don't throw any thing on the ground.
~ Carry a film canister for an ashtray.
~ Avoid unnecessary packaging (remove packaging at home).
~ Use a gas or propane stove to cook on.
~ Don't bring glass containers or allow others to throw glass into fires.
~ Don't use glitter or bring boas.

Clean as you go (you won't see it later as layers of dust accumulate.) Police your campsite on a grid before leaving. Remove EVERYTHING. If you would like to take part in the ongoing cleanup effort during the event please stop by the Earth Guardian camp in Center Camp. We need help with work projects including cleaning the trash fence, garbage pick up in communal areas, garbage sweeps in public areas, assisting Recycling Camp, and educating other participants about cleanup. Remember, Sunday and Monday are cleanup days, and Earth Guardians will be ready to put you to work helping out with this effort.

In addition to contributing time toward the overall event site cleanup on Sunday and Monday, we ask that all camps walk their occupied area in a grid pattern to effectively identify stray organic and inorganic matter. We recommend the last person leaving self-identify as the Leave No Trace monitor for your camp. Our permit allows for a very short time to restore the playa to its original condition. We can only satisfy the BLM stipulations if all citizens share in the responsibility.

If you have time to help AFTER the event ends on Tuesday, you must attend the morning meeting at 7 AM at the DPW on site. Only those assisting with cleanup will be permitted to remain onsite after Tuesday.

Cleanup tips - Sunday and Monday are Earth Guardian cleanup days!

Contribute 2 hours of your time to a general public clean up. Please join with your neighbors on Sunday and Monday after the burn, or schedule two hours on your own during your stay. The Earth Guardians in Center Camp can help put you on a cleanup crew.

Batten down all objects in your camp, especially plastic cups or paper plates, which can be swept away by the wind. (Better yet, don’t BRING plastic cups or paper plates. If you do, separate the paper trash for burning.)

If you bring bottles, take them home with you and recycle them there (aluminum is recyclable in BRC).

No bottles in fires! They shatter and create a miserable pick up chore.

Police your camp daily for litter. Clean as you go.

Smokers! Carry a portable ashtray (a mint tin, or other closeable metal receptacle) with you at all times. NEVER, EVER drop butts on the playa.

Tip for collecting and containing broken glass, nails, screws and other sharp objects: take an empty plastic water jug and cut the top off (3” Diameter hole) so that the handle remains intact. Don’t forget gloves.

Bring shovels and metal containers to remove any ashes. Recycle reminders (recycle, recycle, recycle!)

Think ahead: leave unnecessary packaging at home.

Reduce food packaging. Choose less messy menu items (finger foods). Avoid leftovers (feed your neighbors). Bring pre-cooked food (store in Ziplocs for easy-to-eat food on the run.)

Separate burnables from recyclable.

Bring a mesh bag to dehydrate wet garbage or 5 gallon sealable bucket to store. This will isolate and reduce the burden of rotting food refuse.

Reuse containers. For example, concentrated juice may be purchased in 12 ounce plastic bottles. Mix this into a gallon water jug, and use the original concentrate bottle to drink out of over and over.

Choose crushable cans over plastic and glass. Aluminum cans can be brought to Recycle Camp. See our web page for more information.

Bring your own reusable beverage container to cocktail parties — ideally one with a hook that’s part of your outfit wherever you go.

Garbage disposal after the event:

Do NOT discard refuse along the highway or in neighboring towns. Several public landfills are located conveniently nearby.

In Fernley, FERNLEY SANITATION will be OPEN through the Labor Day weekend. The office phone is 775-575-4964. The office (but not the dump) is closed on weekends. The rate is $4.25 per cubic yard (27 cubic feet). To reach Fernley Sanitation from Eastbound I-80 take the Fernley exit (immediately after Wadsworth). Turn right onto Main Street, pass the Pilot Gas Station on your right. Stay on Main Street to the light. At the light, make a right onto Alternate US Highway 95a. Go about 2 miles and on the left hand you will see the Public Wreckage Disposal building. Stop at the scale house on your way in.

LOCKWOOD LANDFILL will be open for business on Saturday, Sunday and Monday Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2. They operate 8-4:30 weekends, and 7-4:30 on weekdays (even including the Labor Day Holiday!) Head West on I-80; get off at the Lockwood exit. Go straight and continue past the cattle guard for approximately a mile & a half. The entrance is on the left hand side.

RENO TRANSFER STATION (run by Reno Disposal also, 775-329-8822) will be OPEN through the entire Labor Day weekend. Hours are 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 8a.m. - 6 p.m. holidays and weekends. They confirm they will operate on Labor Day. The location in Reno is 1390 Commercial Row . Charge is $3.65 per cubic yard. From I-80 westbound, exit at Wells Avenue, make a left turn left onto 6th street and a right onto Sutro street. Make a left onto Commercial Row and look for 1390 on your left.

Digging holes

Do not excavate holes in the playa. Small postholes (6 inches or less in diameter & less than 2 feet deep) used for structural support are the sole exception. When digging such a hole it is best to use an auger or a posthole digger, NOT a shovel. Refill the hole by carefully tamping the soil back into place. Repeat this process every few inches while dampening the soil. An inverted sledgehammer works well for this. Experience has shown that larger holes, sometimes used to sound-insulate generators or for pools, easily erode within a year’s time, even when carefully backfilled. They leave a visible mark and create a serious safety hazard.

Historical artifacts

The collection, excavation or vandalism of archaeological artifacts is prohibited on public lands. If you find something, please contact a Black Rock Ranger. There are a number of Native American and pioneer historical sites in the surrounding Black Rock Desert Region. Burning Man and our crew of BLM-trained volunteers, the Earth Guardians are committed to assisting the BLM in protecting these areas. Several immigrant wagon-trails crossed the Playa, and evidence of the ruts can be seen in some remote areas. Please respect these historical landmarks. If you are curious, please contact the Oregon California Trail Association and join an organized exploration.