Local oyster farmers together with OceanWatch Australia removed approximately 300 kilos of unsightly waste found in our river last week as part of the annual 'Tide to Tip' program.
The aim of the program is to improve the health of our local rivers for oceans by removing debris and waste. The rubbish sorted and counted on the day will be entered onto the Tangaroa Blue Foundation national marine debris database.
Waste Manager, Aaron Ferrell, said some of the finds were surprising while others sadly were not.
"Old camping gear, tyres, lots of glass and plastic bottles, cans, food wrappers, all sorts of soft and hard plastics and some recreational fishing gear were collected. Large items of waste, in particular soft plastics, were also retrieved from the dunes on the beach," Mr Ferrell said.
"The program is an important event, led by the oyster industry. We have many local oyster farmers who take a keen interest in the health of the estuary as it directly affects their livelihoods. It's great to be able to support them with free disposal of the waste collected today."
The 'Tide to Tip' event is in its fourth consecutive year and supported by oyster farmers across NSW. It is hoped the event will continue and help to keep our waterways healthy not only for our oyster farmers but for us all to enjoy.
