Rotary District 5030: People of Action. Protectors of Our Planet.

Join Us for Rotary’s Epic Day of Service: Tackling Tire Pollution on Vashon-Maury Beaches

Have you ever noticed old, abandoned tires scattered along our beautiful Puget Sound shorelines?

On Vashon-Maury Island alone, more than 20 rogue tires were counted during just a few recent low-tide walks — stark reminders that marine pollution isn’t just an abstract issue. These tires aren’t only unsightly; they pose serious environmental risks. As tires break down, they leach hazardous chemicals into the water, release microplastics, and threaten vital marine life, from salmon to shellfish to seabirds.

But Rotarians are stepping up to turn the tide!

This May 17, as part of Rotary’s Global Day of Action and our District 5030 participation in the Epic Day of Service, the Rotary Club of Vashon is leading an island-wide effort to clean up Vashon-Maury beaches — and you’re invited to join in. Together with local partners including Vashon Parks, Zero Waste Vashon, King County Solid Waste, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, and Vashon Adventures, we’ll tackle pollution head-on, focusing especially on removing rogue beach tires.

Where are all these tires coming from? Decades ago, artificial reefs made from thousands of tires were placed in Puget Sound to attract fish for recreational fishing. Over time, the plastic bindings holding them together degraded, releasing tires into the current. Many now wash up on local beaches, silently polluting fragile marine ecosystems.

While the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is undertaking a massive tire reef removal project, they’re limited to certain subtidal areas. That’s where we — Rotarians and community volunteers — come in. We’ll focus our efforts along Vashon’s 52 miles of shoreline, armed with recycled feed bags and a lot of heart.

We’ll even have a creative twist: island artist Addie Boswell will be turning some of the collected beach trash into vibrant works of art!

How You Can Help: