GARBAGE & RECYCLING
All participants are required to remove their own trash and garbage. Burning Man is the single largest group user of the Black Rock Desert. Our stewardship efforts are not optional.
Part of the beauty of the Playa is its emptiness. Except for tire tracks and footprints, our policy is to leave the desert as the profoundly barren and empty corner of the world that it is. All Black Rock City citizens are expected to participate in our clean-up effort.
The Burning Man event has always asked participants to Pack-it-In/Pack-it-out. This is not a convenience society. There is no daily garbage pick up, and there never, ever will be. It's about radical self-expression and radical self-reliance. We are a society of activists -- we leave no trace. No trash receptacles or bins will be provided. Burning Man will provide only portable toilets which will be emptied on a regular basis.
Don't depend on your neighbors to clean up after you.
However, should those departing before you leave something behind, do what you can to remove their trace. The Department of Public Works is staffed primarily with volunteers. The permit stipulations give us 14 days to remove everything. That's not enough time for our staff to do the work without help from the community.
Below you will find information on how to reduce trash, creating lighter, better-smelling trash, recycling, and our recycling camp. You can also find out what things people left behind in our recycling archive and check out List O' Trash and Will Roger's Clean Up Report.
A final word: please do not deposit garbage in neighboring towns unless
there is a for-fee service run by an enterprising local, which you
will be made aware of during the event. A public landfill is located
conveniently off Interstate 80 in the town of Lockwood near the
eastern outskirts of Reno, and there are other nearby places where
you can take your trash
Remember:
LEAVE NO TRACE! 
