Join Great Islands Cleanup April 24 On San Juan, Orcas, Lopez And Shaw

Contributed Photo. The Island Air crew at a previous Great Islands Cleanup.

By Mark Ingman, San Juan County Solid Waste Program Coordinator

Have you ever noticed a mossy, weedy tire while walking along roads or beaches?

There is a chemical compound in tires that washes off in the rain and is linked to killing salmon — bringing in a cast-off tire along with your litter to the dump is a simple way that we can make an immediate impact.

Help save salmon and care for our land and water with the Great Islands Cleanup of 2021 on April 24. Let’s push through the challenges of the pandemic and spring into action together.

This year the Great Islands Cleanup will be a one-day drive-through event at your island dump. 

This single-day event fosters a deep sense of community and allows us to maintain our COVID-19 safety precautions with our “pods,” households, and small groups.

Shaw Island’s event will be held from 3-5 p.m. at the park baseball field lot.

Follow the steps below to join:

1. Register and review the safety guidelines at plasticfreesalishsea.org/events/.
2. Have fun as you spring into action! Keep track of your volunteer hours and miles of beach/road cleaned.
3. Drive through your dump on April 24 to drop off your litter and report your service.

Please remember to have your totals of volunteer hours and miles of beach or road cleaned for the attendant so we can measure our Great Islands Cleanup impact. This information helps us bring in future litter cleanup funding to our county from the state.

If you find a tire too heavy to safely lift or have additional questions, please contact your island coordinator below:

• San Juan: Katie Fleming, [email protected]
• Orcas: Pete Moe, [email protected], 360-376-4089
• Shaw: Jennifer Woodbridge, [email protected]
• Lopez: Nikyta Palmisani, [email protected], for road cleanup; James Skeet Townley, [email protected], 509-860-3972 for beach

Did you take a photo of your group or have a fun moment from the day you want to share? What about a photo of an unusual item you helped clean up? Send photos to [email protected] or text to #GICU2021.

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