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 BRINGplastic 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.