ChiCargo 2023: Love Burn

Thanks for your interest in ChiCargo 2023: Love Burn!

This page contains all details, most recent updates, and link to sign up.

1. tl;dr high level summary

    • Read carefully for updates regarding: pricing, art discounts, and weight limits

    • Round trip prices: $70 for BYO standardized bin and $14 per cubic foot for irregular items

    • Chicago drop off is Sat 2/11 and Chicago pick up is Sat 2/25, both from 11am to 3pm, rain or shine (or snow or sleet).

    • If you cannot attend Chicago drop off or pick up, please practice Radical Self Reliance and Communal Effort by using the ChiCargo Message board to coordinate with other ChiCargo participants rather than contacting ChiCargo organizers.

    • Weight limits

      • Bins & irregular items: 80 lbs gross (gross = contents + bin + lock + etc). An irregular item more than 100 lbs will need to be split into multiple items.

      • ShiftPods have their own section in sign up, pack only the tent.

    • After years of changing suppliers, the only retailer selling correct bins is Lowes. Correct bins are manufactured by Centrex AND have a square pattern on the yellow lid. Incorrect bins have diamond and/or triangle patterns on the yellow lid.

2. The basics:

    • Round trip prices: $70 for BYO standardized bin and $14 per cubic foot for irregular items

    • One-way trips are half off

    • Public, interactive art receives a 50% discount! (improvement over previous 10% discount)

      • Applied automatically during sign up! (improvement over previous manual system)

      • Eligibility & requirements:

        • Personal items & art must be two different sign ups, must be physically separate during packing & shipping

        • During sign up, artist must provide art's name, description, and approximate location

        • Post-event, artist must provide 1-3 photos of installed art, for addition to ChiCargo art collage

    • Transported by contracted & licensed 3rd part freight professionals

    • Space is limited, first come first serve, and reservations are valid only after completion of the online sign up and successful payment processing

    • Sign up closes when space is filled OR Friday 2/10 at 11:59pm Chicago time, whichever is first

    • There are no refunds after Friday 2/10 at 11:59pm Chicago time

3. Prohibited items

    • Prohibited items include but are not limited to:

      • illegal drugs: cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, etc;

      • "partially legal" drugs: marijuana, cannabis, derivatives or synthetic thereof, etc;

      • perishable food or beverage: produce, milk, fresh juices, etc;

      • fireworks: signal flares, sparklers, other explosives, etc;

      • flammables/fuel: propane, butane, gasoline, diesel, white gas, matches, lighters, etc;

      • paints: spray paint, oil-based paint, etc;

      • household Items: bleach, spray starch, insecticides, drain cleaners, solvents, etc;

      • pressure containers: scuba tanks, camp stove propane canisters, carbon dioxide cartridges, nitrous oxide cartridges, etc;

      • weapons: firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, tear-gas, pepper spray, etc;

      • hazardous materials: dry ice, gasoline-powered tools, wet-cell batteries, camping equipment with fuel, radioactive materials, poisons, infectious substances, etc;

      • wet goods that could open and destroy other property and/or stink up the trailer (stinky cheese), etc.

      • living beings: dogs, cats, humans, fish, etc.

4. Bins

    • $70 price is only for 27 gallon "Commander" bins by Centrex

      • NOT 27 gallon "Professional Box" at Costco

      • NOT 27 gallon storage tote by HDX sold at Home Depot

      • NOT 27 gallon "Tough Tote" by Homz sold at Amazon

      • If you use a non-Centrex tote, it will be irregular and you will be charged $98 or more

    • Bins are available at:

    • Gross weight limit for bins is 80 lbs per bin (gross = contents + bin + lock + etc)

    • We reserve the right to refuse any bin that is visibly cracked or damaged at load in.

    • Bag your bin contents or tape the edges of your bin to prevent intrusion of dirt, dust, etc.

    • If you’re re-using a bin from a previous ChiCargo year, make sure you remove previous labels!

    • At Chicago drop off, bins receive heavy-duty labels with the shipper's name & info, so labeling/decorating is not required.

    • If you want to label/decorate your bin, do so in non-MOOPy ways:

      • OK: Sharpie, paint pen, duct tape, large plastic stickers

      • NOT OK: Spray paint, house paint, masking tape, washi tape, small stickers, paper stickers

    • Lid must close completely and be secured at all 6 points with zip ties: cinch zip ties tight, cut off extra length.

    • Bins should be packed carefully: they will have hundreds of pounds stacked on it, or leaning against it from any direction.

5. BYOlock system

    • At Chicago drop off, bin owners must bring one lock per bin (unlocked)

      • Locks must be compatible with lock holes in Centrex bin

      • Locks cannot obstruct or interfere with bin stacking

      • Bike locks (cable or U lock) are OK if meeting the above criteria, but not recommended, and can only be used for one bin

      • Bins cannot be locked together or otherwise attached to each other

    • Bring bin to dropoff unlocked: Bins will be weighed at load-in, and if overweight, you will be required to take weight out

6. Irregular items

    • Irregular item capacity is limited at our discretion

    • Gross weight limit for irregular items is 80 lbs per item. An irregular item more than 80 lbs will need to be split into multiple items.

    • Orders with irregular items may be declined with full refund within 24 hours of order submission

    • We cannot accept fragile or delicate items; may not be able to accept items with any one dimension longer than 8'

    • Dimensions & pricing is "highest point rectilinear" and uses the following procedure:

      • Measure length, width, and height at longest, widest, and tallest point

      • Then, round up to the nearest whole inch. Ex: 14.4" x 30.2" x 43.8" becomes 15" x 31" x 44"

      • Multiply the result and then divide by 1728 for the precise cubic feet. Ex: 15*31*44 = 20,460 then 20,460 / 1728 = 11.84

      • Round up to the nearest cubic foot then multiply by $14 for final cost Ex. 11.84 becomes 12 then 12*$14 = $168

7. Chicago drop off

    • Chicago drop off will be Saturday, February 11th from 11am-3pm within the city limits of Chicago accessible via public transit or car (exact location provided in late January to those who sign up)

    • At Chicago drop off, bin owners must bring one lock per bin (unlocked) (see section 5 above)

    • At Chicago drop off, we will have a system for quickly locating boxes and locks at Love Burn

    • If you cannot attend Chicago drop off or pick up, please practice Radical Self Reliance and Communal Effort by using the ChiCargo Message board to coordinate with other ChiCargo participants rather than contacting ChiCargo organizers.

8. Love Burn pick up and Love Burn drop off

10. Chicago pick up

    • Chicago pick up will be Saturday 2/25 from 11am-3pm at same location as drop off

    • If you cannot attend Chicago drop off or pick up, please practice Radical Self Reliance and Communal Effort by using the ChiCargo Message board to coordinate with other ChiCargo participants rather than contacting ChiCargo organizers.

11. Payment & Refunds

    • Successful payment via credit or debit card is required to sign up

    • Accepted cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club

    • If possible, please submit payment in one lump sum covering all items shipped

    • Full refunds are available before Friday 2/10 at 11:59pm Chicago time

    • Refund requests must be submitted via email: reply to the confirmation email (subject line: "Thanks for your sign up of X items") and double-check it's being sent to chicargo@burningmelon.org

    • Refund requests will receive a reply within 48 hours; actual timing of repayment may vary based on your credit/debit card

12. Link to sign up form

13. Stay connected