Chapter 1.4 - Get Involved
It may be the last thing you do at an event, but it’s one of the most important! It’s Leave No Trace!
MOOP stands for ‘Matter Out Of Place’ and it is exactly that - something that doesn’t belong where it is, but it extends beyond our traditional understanding of trash.
Anything we usually regard as garbage, rubbish or unwanted is MOOP!
A pile of rocks may not be trash, but if it doesn’t belong in that spot, It’s MOOP!
Feathers may be natural, but if they aren’t from the native birds, they’re MOOP!
Everyone makes mistakes and everyone unintentionally MOOPS from time to time. Whether it’s forgetting where you set your beer down, to things dropping off of your costume, it happens to the best of us.
We need to work together as a community and apply Communal Effort. Try not to mentally divide it into ‘my MOOP’ and ‘everyone else’s problem.’ Treat all MOOP as our MOOP.
Fight The MOOP Monster
Here are some things you can do to fight the MOOP monster:
Carry around a little ziplock baggy and pick up any stray bits of MOOP you stumble upon.
Take a trash bag and do a daily MOOP sweep of your campsite and it’s surrounds. Or even do a lap of the site if you’re feeling up to it!
Smokers, you will need to bring or make a portable ashtray. Mint tins make a great receptacle for your buts and spent matches.
If you feel squeamish about touching other people’s naughty little tidbits, bring a pair of kitchen or garden gloves and some hand sanitizer. Expect to occasionally have to handle things you would rather not touch with your bare skin and be prepared!
Be aware of when you are creating MOOP and take care of it before it hits the ground (eg, clipping the ends off of zip ties, doing craft activities, preparing food, and washing-up).
Think ahead to spot potential MOOP disasters and avoid them entirely. No one wants to clean up a Bean Bag Styrofoam Ball Apocalypse, an Easter Egg Foil Flood, a Feather Boa Tornado, a Sequin Tsunami, or fallout from the Great Glitter Catastrophe. Think of the absolute worst-case scenario, and then do what you can to avoid it.
Remove any potential MOOP before you even get to site. Take all the stickers and un-necessary wrappings off your food and don’t bring individually wrapped Easter eggs.
If you must bring something with feathers or sequins or glitter or any loose bits, SHAKE IT THOROUGHLY and roughly before you come to site to try and cut down on the number of bits dropping off. You will have to pick these loose bits all up if they do……
Have a MOOP Management Plan in place before you come to site. Have different trash bags for recycling, trash, and compost. Plan for either hauling it home or disposing of it responsibly along the way.
DO NOT EVER use a private rubbish bin or dumpster for disposal of your waste! This pisses people off and makes everyone in our community look bad.
Do a thorough MOOP sweep before you leave the site. After you pack everything up, have everyone walk over every inch of your camp and the surrounding area looking for anything that shouldn’t be there. This includes things that clearly aren’t yours or have been there for a while.
Just pick it up!
Make sure your area is spotless!
