Yes, not everyone packed out their trash, and that is a poor reflection on many of the people who went to this event.

The population of people at Symbiosis who also go to Burning Man is high, and many of the people involved in creating Symbiosis also contribute to creating Burning Man. Now, it would be great if Symbiosis had the cleanup crew that Burningman has, but Burning Man has been around longer, has a way bigger budget and far more manpower.

As with many eco-minded events, Symbiosis fell short of being zero-waste, and environmentally sustainable, though the intention was there and effort was made.

Burning Man is hardly carbon-neutral, now, is it? All the plastic water bottles, eating utensils, paper plates, disposable glow sticks, plus the fuel to haul stuff out there, and blow shit up with? Do you really think Burning Man volunteers manage to gather every single feather and sequin that falls upon the playa?

I would say, Burning Man’s overall environmental impact is negative.