It’s no surprise that Seaside is a spring break hot spot. In addition to the shopping, craft beer, fresh seafood and bumper cars, Seaside’s 2.7-mile-long stretch of beach is ideal for long strolls with your pup, collecting whole sand dollars, beach-cruiser bike rides, and toasting marshmallows with the kids over the bonfire while marveling at the sunset.
What’s not to love?
Small pieces of plastic and Styrofoam stuck to the bottom of your sandy bare feet, that’s what.
As a surfer who paddles out at Seaside Cove every chance I get, I spend a good amount of time on Seaside’s beach. At first glance, it undoubtedly looks like a pristine stretch of sand, but if you spend as much time on it as I do, you might start to notice a few food wrappers or dog-waste bags wedged under pieces of driftwood. You might also find marine refuse that has washed up on the shore, like Styrofoam floats. While this trash is unsightly for all beachgoers for sure, seabirds also ingest it and get tangled up in it.
Luckily, visitors and local volunteers are playing a huge role in keeping Seaside’s beach clean and safe — and you can pitch in too.
Giving Back by Cleaning Up
If you’ll be spending spring break in Seaside — or visiting the first weekend of any month throughout the year — here’s how to join the good, clean fun.
The first Saturday of every month, locals in collaboration with the nonprofit SOLVE — which stands for Sustaining Oregon’s Legacy by Volunteering — host a fun and very organized Treasure the Beach Seaside cleanup event from 9 to 11 a.m. SOLVE‘s April Oregon Spring Cleanup event is particularly noteworthy, as thousands of volunteers pitch in all across the state every year. You can get in on Seaside’s annual spring-cleanup event on April 5, 2025.
SOLVE volunteers typically collect over 50 tons of litter and ocean debris from Oregon’s beaches each year, so your two hours of effort really will make a difference. Add in the fact that you’ll be rewarded. For every bag, you can receive cleanup coins or power cards that you can use at your favorite Seaside spots afterward. The event is a win-win for everyone — the pelicans, your barefoot kids and future generations of beach lovers.
How to Volunteer on the Beach
You can register for Treasure the Beach cleanups in advance, or you can just show up and join the fun. All ages and abilities are welcome.
All volunteers meet in front of the Seaside Aquarium at 200 North Prom, two blocks north of downtown, where you’ll be given free gloves and garbage bags. If it’s raining, just go inside the Seaside Aquarium’s gift shop to register and grab supplies.
You’ll want to gear up with closed-toe shoes — waterproof boots are ideal if it’s raining — and weather-appropriate clothing. It’s also a good idea to bring a backpack to keep your hands free, plus snacks and a reusable water bottle.
When you’ve filled as many garbage bags as you can, take a selfie of your crew and then drop your bags next to any garbage can along the Prom, and Seaside’s hardworking Public Works Department will dispose of them properly.
Rewards for Helping Out
After you’ve finished, stop by the friendly Seaside Welcome Center and show the front-desk staff your selfie with your full bags.
To reward your volunteer work, you’ll be provided with $5 in cleanup coins (or a $5 power card) per person who removed at least one bag of debris from the beach. For example, if your family of five fills four bags, you’ll receive $20 in cleanup coins to spend on cookies, hazelnut lattes, Skee-Ball and other treats.
Here’s where you can cash in your coins and power cards. Even better, each time you return to the beach, take off your shoes and enjoy the sand, you’ll know that you’ve helped make it clean and safe for building sandcastles, seashell hunting and playing beach Frisbee.
Cash In Coins:
Beach Day Coffee
7 Broadway
503.338.9619
Caffe Latte
300 Broadway, Suite 19 (in the Carousel Mall)
503.738.8631
Controversial Coffee
111 Broadway, Suite 7 (in Inverted Experience)
503.739.0158
The Cookie Jar Bakery
8 N. Holladay
971.320.0719
Seaside Coffee Roasters
S N. Holladay Drive
503.717.0111
Spend Your Power Card:
Funland Arcade
201 Broadway
503.738.7361
Seaside Skooters + 10 Tiny Tees
110 Broadway
503.738.7361
