Osborne Reef tire cleanup continues in Florida

Efforts to remove millions of discarded tires from the ocean near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are ongoing. Between 1966 and 1979, approximately one to two million tires were dumped into the ocean as part of the Osborne Reef project. The initiative, intended to create artificial habitats for fish and manage waste, instead caused significant environmental instability.

Problems began almost immediately as metal fasteners corroded and straps broke, allowing tires to drift with currents and storm surges. This movement has caused damage to nearby natural coral reefs. Recent studies indicate that hundreds of thousands of tires remain on the seafloor, with some located in sandy habitats and others in direct contact with coral reefs.

Cleanup operations involve divers using sonar and underwater mapping to locate debris. Once found, tires are gathered into groups and lifted to vessels using cranes or winches. While over 535,000 tires were removed from a single priority zone between 2015 and 2025, the restoration process is expected to continue well past 2030.