Burning Man reveals the worst trash left behind after a rocky year

"Lag bolts are highly effective for anchoring objects into the playa. But when screwed flush into - or below - the surface, they disappear into the dust. Overlooked, they become both a leave no trace failure and a safety hazard for vehicles and people."

"Every year, after the last Burners pack up their campsites and drive out of the Black Rock Desert, the real work begins. A team of 150 volunteers, known informally as "resto" - short for "restoration" - spends several weeks scouring the 157-million-square-foot area for trash."

"Leave No Trace is one of Burning Man's 10 Principles, the set of guidelines that inform the event's ethos. It's as much a practical consideration as it is an ethical one: Burning Man takes place on public land within Nevada's Black Rock Desert, and must pass an inspection by the Bureau of Land Management after each year's festival."

Burning Man's 2025 cleanup revealed lag bolts as the leading form of MOOP (Matter Out of Place), with 2,304 instances found embedded in the Black Rock Desert's hardened mud, up from 1,508 in 2024. These coarsely threaded screws, used to anchor canopies and tents, disappear into dust when screwed flush or below the surface, creating both environmental and safety concerns. Other common debris included plastic (1,204 instances) and cardboard/paper (826 instances). A 150-person restoration volunteer team spends weeks cleaning the 157-million-square-foot area after the festival. Leave No Trace is one of Burning Man's 10 core principles and a requirement for passing Bureau of Land Management inspections of the public land.

Read at SFGATE