'Tide to Tip' initiative brings oyster farmers together to clean up their waterways

'Tide to Tip' is an annual event organised by OceanWatch Australia that sees oyster growers band together to commit time and effort to removing rubbish from their estuary.

Two events were held on the Clyde River and at Wagonga Inlet respectively on February 22. Another event was held at Tuross Lake on February 13.

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Angus Rivett was just one of around a dozen oyster farmers who spent a few hours filling a skip-bin with trash collected from the Clyde River. He said while oyster farmers were always removing trash they came across from the waterway, it was important to have an annual get-together and do an annual sweep of the river for trash.

"We need to keep the estuary clean to give our oysters the best chance," he said.

At the end of their work, the skip bin was filled with plastic, bottles, tyres, plastic drums, milk cartons, wrappers and metal sheets. Mr Rivett said a lot of the trash collected was plastic, and it was important to try to keep such rubbish ending up in the water ways.

A summary of the waste will be documented and analysed by the Australian Marine Debris Database - a program run by Tangaroa Blue Foundation.

"It's a pile of trash, but it represents data to learn what is coming down the river and how to stop it," Mr Rivett said.

He said rubbish in the estuary increased during the summer period when more people were actively using the waterway.

"It's important to share the positive message of keeping the river clean and preserving the reputation of Clyde River oysters for the future," he said.

"Keep the river clean."

There are 22 estuaries across NSW, QLD and WA involved in the initiative. Over the three previous years, 664 volunteers have collected more than 30 tonnes of waste from estuaries across the country.