Nine beaches in Sydney, the capital city of Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW), have been closed following the return of mystery debris balls.
The debris balls had forced beach closures late in 2024.
Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council on Tuesday closed nine beaches under its jurisdiction after being notified about the balls washing ashore by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in NSW.
Those that had been closed included the iconic beach at Manly, one of Sydney’s most popular surfing and swimming spots.
“Council was alerted to the debris via the EPA and is working closely with the state agency to collect samples for testing,’’ the council said in a statement.
“So far, most samples identified are marble-sized, with a few larger in size.
“The council is organising the safe removal of the matter and the inspection of the other beaches.’’
It has advised beachgoers to avoid the affected areas and keep away from the material.
According to the council, this came after thousands of debris balls washed ashore at seven beaches in Sydney’s East in October 2024, forcing their closure for several days.
More of the balls were found at two beaches in southern Sydney in December 2024.
EPA tested the debris that washed ashore last October and found that they were made up of hundreds of components, including fat, food, human waste and drugs.
Experts were unable to detect the origin of the debris but said that they likely came from a source that releases mixed waste.
