Editing Burning Man (section)

== "Leave No Trace" policy ==
[[File:Moop on the Playa.jpg|thumb|A collection of MOOP (Matter Out of Place), 2013]]

Burning Man takes place in the middle of a large [[Dry lake|playa]]. While not inhabited by humans itself, the area around the playa is home to many animals and plants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://festivalessentials.net/resources/Burning_Man_EA_06-10.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182424/http://festivalessentials.net/resources/Burning_Man_EA_06-10.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |title=Burning Man 2006–2010 Environmental Assessment}}</ref> Supporters of Burning Man point out that participants are encouraged to [[leave no trace]] (LNT) of their visit to Black Rock City (BRC) and to not contaminate the area with litter, commonly known as MOOP (Matter Out of Place). Despite the BLM and [[Black Rock City, LLC|LLC]]'s insistence on the practice of LNT, the amount of residual trash at the site has increased over the years.<ref>Bureau of Land Management. [http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/winnemucca_field_office/nca_pdfs.Par.97441.File.dat/2009_Burning_Man_Inspection_Memo.pdf Burning Man Post-Event Inspection, 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031055950/http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/winnemucca_field_office/nca_pdfs.Par.97441.File.dat/2009_Burning_Man_Inspection_Memo.pdf |date=October 31, 2012}}</ref>

While fire is a primary component of many art exhibits and events, materials must be burned on a burn platform.<ref name="burningman.com" /> From 1990 through 1999, burning was allowed to take place directly on the surface of the playa, but this left burn scars (fired pinkish clay-like playa surface). When it was determined in 2000 that the burn scars do not dissipate with the annual winter rains and flooding, the organization declared that fires had to be elevated from the playa surface for its protection.

When it was discovered by two of the founders of the Friends of Black Rock / High Rock (Garth Elliott and Sue Weeks) and BLM Winnemucca district director Terry Reid that burn scars from prior sites (numbering 250) still remained, they were eradicated in 2000 by the DPW clean up crew headed by Dan Miller.

On the last day of the event, public shared burn areas are prepared for participants to use. It is an ongoing educational process each year to encourage participants to protect the environment and other participants by not burning toxic materials.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/environment/resources/burning.html |title=Resources – Burn Effects |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=February 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220134301/http://www.burningman.com/environment/resources/burning.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/toxic.html |title=Preparation |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=January 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113154916/http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/toxic.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Even [[gray water]] is not to be dumped on the playa. Used shower water must be captured and either evaporated off or collected and carried home with participants or disposed of by roving septic-pumping trucks, which also service RVs. Methods used for evaporating water often include a plastic sheet with a wood frame.

The [[Bureau of Land Management]], which maintains the desert, has very strict requirements for the event. These stipulations include trash cleanup, removal of burn scars, dust abatement, and capture of fluid drippings from participant vehicles. For four weeks after the event has ended, the Black Rock City Department of Public Works (BRC – DPW) Playa Restoration Crew remains in the desert, cleaning up after the temporary city in an effort to make sure that no evidence of the event remains.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nv.blm.gov/Winnemucca/NEPA/burningman/burningman.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525050812/http://www.nv.blm.gov/Winnemucca/NEPA/burningman/burningman.htm |url-status=dead |title=Bureau of Land Management |archive-date=May 25, 2006}}</ref>

In spite of the festival's clean up policies, [[Pershing County]] Sheriff Jerry Allen has stated that each festival "typically leaves a fair amount of detritus littered across the desert". He said that the leftover trash, including abandoned vehicles, was particularly heavy after the 2023 event.<ref>Merrill, Monique, "[https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/abandoned-vehicles-reportedly-strewn-for-miles-as-burning-man-revelers-finally-able-to-leave/ar-AA1gik9n#:~:text=According%20to%20Pershing%20County%20Sheriff%20Jerry%20Allen%2C%20there,desert%2C%20but%20it%20was%20more%20severe%20this%20year. Abandoned Vehicles Reportedly ‘Strewn for Miles’ as Burning Man Revelers Finally Able to Leave] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010012314/https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/abandoned-vehicles-reportedly-strewn-for-miles-as-burning-man-revelers-finally-able-to-leave/ar-AA1gik9n#:~:text=According%20to%20Pershing%20County%20Sheriff%20Jerry%20Allen%2C%20there,desert%2C%20but%20it%20was%20more%20severe%20this%20year. |date=October 10, 2023 }}", ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', (reprinted on MSN.com), September 7, 2023</ref>