Leave No Trace Guide (LNT)

The area in which we gather is the unceded territory of the Sylix and Nlaka’pamux (pronounced Ng-khla-kap-muhx) peoples. They remain stewards of the land in these regions to this day.

Nlaka’pamux territory stretches from (approximately) the Fraser Canyon and Princeton in the south to Cache Creek and Kamloops in the north. In fact, the Ntstlatko (meaning “cold water”) river that intersects the BitF site, also runs through two Nlaka’pamux Reservations belonging to the people of nc’tetkʷu (the Coldwater Indian Band), before flowing past the town of Merritt and connecting with the Nicola River. The Nlaka’pamux, and the Coldwater Indian Band in particular, have always had a special connection to the Ntstlatko and the cultural resources it has provided. So as we celebrate together on these lands and along this river, please do not forget that they have been, and remain, intimately connected to the Indigenous communities that have lived here for millennia.

What If and its participants are guests on this land, which is ever more reason to practice LNT faithfully and to recognize that each of us has an individual responsibility, as well as a collective responsibility to respect this, and all land.

Our Responsibility as the LNT Team

We, the Leave No Trace team, pledge to you to do everything we can to empower you to Leave No Trace. 

Things that we do are:

• Coordinate with all aspects of the event to provide support and tools to whoever needs them
• Create signs, reminders, and visual cues to keep LNT at the forefront of your Burner mind
• Creating documentation like this Guide
• Coordinate with theme camps so that they model best practices and have clean, beautiful camps
• Coordinate onsite MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) prevention and reduction activities
• Perform the Monday MOOP sweep, and MOOP assessment
• Reports back to Production and the wider community on performance

At the end of the event we walk the site so that we have assurance that the production of the event leaves no trace. We have your back and we are not here to clean up after you 🙂 

Whether you’re a theme camp member, an artist, an art car driver, a robot, a first timer, or a seasoned Burner, you are responsible for TWO things only:

1. Taking responsibility for your own MOOP, and everything you bring to the event;
2. Holding your friends, fellow Burners and all citizens to account for their MOOP, and what they bring to the event. 

If you see someone drop something, say something. Better yet, pick it up. Be awesome.

We all share in the creation of this event and so the onus is on all of us as individuals to do as much as possible to make it a reality, which includes leaving no trace. 

MOOP is an acronym for “Matter Out Of Place”. It refers to anything that is not originally of the land on which our event takes place. MOOP is anything that is brought to the site of the event.  MOOP is any litter, glitter, the hair from your back, or even your half-eaten pear. EVERYTHING IS MOOP. We pack everything out with us. “Biodegradable” garbage is still MOOP that needs to be packed out!

Quick note on bio-degradation: It’s a process of breaking things down into smaller pieces by microorganisms and has no necessary value to the soil, or timeframe beneficial to human life. A tank is biodegradable and so are diapers, but it may take 500-1000 years.

Read more about MOOP on the Burning Man website.

The only things that are not MOOP are things like grass, or soil that was already there. Large rocks have to be placed back where you found them (and please don’t take them from the river!!). Want to throw confetti? If you make it from the naturally occurring flora onsite, it will not be MOOP.

Stop MOOP Before it Starts!

The best time to think about MOOP is as you are packing for the event. Take a quick look at your pile of stuff before you tetris it into your crates, boxes, and tubs. Is there any unnecessary stuff or packaging? Did you bring clear garbage bags for recycling and garbage? Examine the things you are bringing and ask: will this create MOOP? If the answer is yes, don’t bring it. 

If you end up having to stop at Canadian Tire, or Wal-Mart on your way out to the event, you will be bringing a lot of packaging and potential MOOP with you when you leave the store. Take a moment to open it all up and leave the packaging at the store, OR you can also plan ahead so you can de-package and re-pack the new stuff you plan on bringing.

Best Practices for a MOOP-free Camp

• Leave packaging at home
• Do a MOOP sweep before, and during the event to keep your camp clean as you go, then there is less pressure on those at the very end
• Make your LNT plan specific! (i.e. Who is bringing garbage/recycling/compost bins and bags? When will you conduct sweeps? Who/What/Where/How? Who will bring the waste home?)
• Have a specific Camp LNT rep that is ONLY responsible for LNT and nothing else 
• Use a ground tarp, or roll out mat to create a MOOP barrier (do not use carpet/astroturf, unless you tarp underneath it, as it always sheds and the individual pieces need to be picked up)
• DO NOT bring costumes that will shed
• Have a post-event cleanup schedule with specific responsibilities (identify who will do the camp MOOP sweep, and who will take away the garbage, compost and recyclables)
• Make sure that everyone in your camp is onboard with the camp’s LNT plan and takes responsibility for themselves and each other
• Host a deMOOPing party where your camp invites guests to pitch in (Are you a sound camp? Play a MOOP clean up song at the end of your set)
• If you see someone drop something on the ground, say something, better yet, pick it up for them
• Pre-cut veggies, cheese, meats and pack them in reusable tupperware
• Pre-cook dishes and freeze them for easy cooking and virtually zero prep onsite
• Instead of washing dishes in water you have to carefully dispose of, consider putting a splash of water in your bowl/plate, scraping food bits with a spoon and then drinking the water and licking the bowl/plate clean! mmm-mmm … zero MOOP! Plate lickers unite!

Do a MOOP Sweep of your site:

• Before you set up
• At least once during the event, or every day
• Monday, after everyone has hauled their stuff to their vehicles 

Make sure to sweep surrounding bushes/pathways/roads. Make sure you pick up organics like sunflower seed shells, cherry pits, eggshells, orange peels, and bits of wood from projects. Even if the MOOP was already there, we are called to leave our site in better shape than when we arrived! 

How to do a MOOP Sweep

Running a ‘line’ / walking the grid is the easiest way.

1. Have as many people as you can stand in a line next to each other starting just outside the boundaries of one side of your site extending into the your site.
2. Have the people spread out to a little more than arms length apart.
3. Walk the length of your camp / site together picking up MOOP as you go.
4. When you reach just past the end of your site, move the group over and continue until the site has been fully walked and cleaned.

Theme camps that reported using this method left the least MOOP behind. This technique is the easiest and most effective with bigger, rather than smaller groups. LNT uses multiple crews of 10+!

Watch the Burning Man DPW Playa Restoration Lesson #2: Anatomy of a MOOP Line video.

Water from washing dishes, showering, brushing teeth, etc. is called grey water. One best practice is to collect, contain and take with you when you leave.  

At our Merritt site, you can dispose of strained greywater at least 200 feet from water sources. For those of you camped on the field side, we suggest disposing of it at the base of the cliff as that’s an easy to remember reference point that we know is far enough away from the river! 

What does “strained” mean? Despite its name, “grey” water should be pretty much clear to responsibly dispose of it at the site! 

Strain the water at your camp into a container, pouring it through a fine sieve to catch food bits and any other particles. You can use an old pair of pantyhose or even a disposable coffee filter to strain out finer particles. If your gray water is still really grungy after straining and would leave a trace on the soil if poured out, please be prepared to pack it out! 

Never put grey water in the river and do not use soap OF ANY KIND in the river.  Limit your use of soaps on land by diluting them and using as little as you can. Use phosphate-free and biodegradable soaps only. Do not leave puddles of standing water.

Instead of washing dishes in water, consider putting a splash of water in your bowl/plate, scraping food bits with a spoon and then drinking the water and licking the bowl/plate clean! mmm-mmm… zero MOOP is TASTY! Or plan ahead and bring tortillas to make wraps or to cover your plate, and just eat the tortilla at the end of your meal! 

What about Bubbles?

Bubble solution is grey water and so also should not be dumped.  However, the river has the ability to safely dilute the odd stray bubble. To minimize our impact, here are the bubble guidelines for BitF: 

• Don’t bring bubble solution into the river or onto banks of the river, to avoid any accidental major spills;
• Limit grey water dumping involving bubble solution to the north and south roads on the very edges of the site, or better yet pack it out
• Don’t point a high-capacity bubble machine directly at the river! If you have a hand held bubble machine, turn it off when crossing the bridge. 

When it comes to a few bubbles here and there straying over the river, fret not!  The river’s fast flow will dilute evenly distributed bubbles that may accidentally pop into the water, without reaching levels that are toxic to fish.

Drinks

Transfer your drinks to a reusable drinking container when walking around the event. You cannot walk around with drinks in aluminum cans or glass bottles. NO GLASS!

IMPORTANT <- READ ME

Alcohol is allowed to be consumed in campsites. BUT you cannot walk outside of camps with any open alcohol. Do Not walk around with cans of beer or glass bottles of liquor. NO GLASS.

Eating Food

If you’re going to a party and you know there’s food there, bring your own plate, cup and spoon (you can eat anything with a spoon), or spork, or fork, you won’t need a knife. BYOP, BYOS, BYOEverything and PACK IT OUT.

Site Facilities & Camp Recycling Bins

As Burners we practice Radical Self-Reliance.  There is no official disposal provided on site. Each camp must bring their own bins for garbage, recycling, and compost. Make sure your camp has an agreement on who will take which bin with them after the event is over. Make sure they have room in their vehicle. If you separate your waste properly as you go, you will find that it smells less and is easier to transport.

We suggest having to following bins:

COMPOST (Green Bin, ASTM D6400 Certified Bag) OR Use large sealable/locking tupperware

CONTAINERS (Blue Bin, clear garbage bag)

PAPER (Yellow Bin, clear garbage bag

GARBAGE (Black Bin, clear garbage bag)

#safetyalert 

!!!AVOID BLACK GARBAGE BAGS!!! 

Some waste disposal companies will only accept clear bags for safety reasons. 

Non-clear bags also hide the waste, which encourages out of sight, out of mind mentality.

Alternatives to Glass

Mirrors > Bring an acrylic or metal mirror

Glass jars and bottles > replace with plastic or metal containers

During the event, check out the “Lost & Found” at the Volunteer Hub at Centre Camp.
The lost & found coordinator may take photos of flailed items, post an album to the event page, and bring them to the post-event volunteer BBQ. If you do not claim your MOOPy stuff at the volunteer BBQ (or send a friend to get it for you), it will be donated.

Porta Potties

The only things accepted in the depths of the portable toilets are:

• Single ply toilet paper
• The various liquids and solids that are produced by your body:

pee, poo, vomit, menses 

Do not put any of the following items in the porta-potty:

• No Wet-wipes
• No “Flushable” wipes
• No Tampons, maxi pads
• No Garbage of any kind 
• No Organics (e.g. orange peel, apple core)
• No MOOP

(These items can get lodged in the machines that pump out the porta-potties, which creates back-pressure, sucking in the tube until BOOM! Shit everywhere. NOBODY wants that!)

LNT while menstruating

The ‘Diva Cup’ is recommended as a waste-free menstrual container and can be emptied in Porta Potties.. If you are using tampons or pads, bring a baggy with you so you can pack them out of the porta-potty, and the event, with you. Have a baggy tucked away in your bag or back pocket so you don’t get caught without it. Even items labeled as “biodegradable” are NOT permitted in porta-potties.

Costumes

There are certain items that are likely to shed during the event and become MOOP. The following costumes and materials are high-potential MOOP items, and are best left at home:

• Glitter, Sequins, Beads, Feathers, Tassels
• Furs/Furry suits (use a lint roller or tape to take out all the bits that may fall out)
• Older PVC vinyl garments and shoes shed a LOT as they degrade!