In Australia, Sydney beaches still victims of mysterious balls washed up on the sand

INTERNATIONAL – Small balls, small balls, more small balls. Around Sydney, concern is growing once again this Tuesday, January 14 after an increase in debris on the beaches, recalling several similar episodes observed in recent months in Australia.

As reported The Guardiannine beaches in northern Sydney (Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne as well as North Narrabeen) are currently affected by the appearance of this debris, compared to small whitish balls washed up on the shore. But as with previous episodes recorded in the country, the mystery persists about the origin of these strange spheres, most of them no larger than a marble.

According to Sue Heins, the Mayor of Northern Beaches, they “ could be anything “. An absence of knowledge which makes the situation even more worrying ». “There’s obviously something leaking or falling or whatever is floating out there and being tossed around. But no one knows who really dropped him, lost him or let him escape.she added helplessly. On the side of Sydney Water, the organization in charge of the collection, treatment and distribution of water, the theory mentioned at this stage is that of “ fat balls “, unrelated to the activity and the “ normal operation of water resources recovery plants » of the region.

Sydney Water also indicates that it is investigating this matter with the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority to establish the origin and provenance of this waste.

Pieces of “ fatberg »

It must be said that these little balls recall the episode of October 2024, when balls – black this time – had already appeared on the beaches of Sydney. This caused their temporary closure.

First confused with “ tar balls » based on oil from an oil spill, as recalled The Guardianthe tests carried out on samples made it possible to establish their approximate nature: waste generated largely by man, also called pieces of ” fatberg “. These are usually balls forming in sewers from insolvent material in the water. And containing in particular traces of human excrement, PFAS (very persistent chemicals), fatty acids or other organic (hair, food waste, animal materials) and inorganic (medications) materials.

In October, Syndey Water finally recognized “ that the tar balls may have absorbed sewage discharges, which were already present in the water when they formed, but did not form as a result of our sewage discharges ».

But as early as December, other balls (green, gray and black) appeared on a beach in Kurnell, south of Syndey, suggesting that the problem was still far from being resolved. Moreover, the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority said it had collected samples in early December, the results of which remain unknown to this day.

In the past, other mentions of mysterious balls already existed in Australia. In 2014, a newspaper article The World evoked an invasion of green balls on Dee Why beach. The theory of a variety of algae more often observed in the northern hemisphere had been put forward, without concretely explaining their presence on Australian beaches.