Once again, small ball-shaped debris have washed up along the shores of Sydney, Australia, forcing the closure of nine area beaches while experts try to figure out what they are and where they’re coming from.
The grey and white balls, most about the size of a marble, come months after mysterious black balls washed up, prompting the closure of eight beaches in October. When authorities tested those balls, they determined they were likely the result of a sewage spill.
Now, Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins says the latest balls “could be anything.”
“We don’t know at the moment what it is and that makes it even more concerning,” she told The Guardian.
Most of the debris balls are about the size of a marble.
Handout / Northern Beaches Council
“There’s something that’s obviously leaking or dropping… floating out there and being tossed around.”
In a statement, the Northern Beaches council said it was working with the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to clean up the mystery balls and have them sent for testing.
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Meanwhile, they advised beachgoers to avoid Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen beaches until further notice.
According to the BBC, the debris that washed up in October was widely reported as “tar balls,” but testing found they contained everything from pesticides and hair, to cooking oils, soap scum, veterinary drugs, methamphetamine and more.
Last October, several beaches, including the iconic Bondi east of downtown Sydney, were shut after thousands of black balls appeared on the shores.
Handout / Northern Beaches Council
Scientists said they resembled fat, oil, and grease blobs — often called fatbergs — which are commonly formed in sewage systems from human-generated waste and can form when substances pile up and stick together.
The EPA has advised the public not to handle the balls of debris and to report them when they are found.
