Dog owners on the Sunshine Coast are being told to clean up their act after 25 kilograms of dog poo bags were collected recently from a local beach.
Sea Shepherd volunteer Lauren Hindmarch said the 180 bags of dog droppings were collected in one hour at Mudjimba dog beach, on North Shore Road.
"There are already bins here but obviously we need to address something, because it is an issue."
Environmental volunteers were out in force on the weekend to clean up the beach again as part of Sea Shepherd's Waves of Change campaign.
The group said another 50 dog bags were collected on Saturday, roughly 7 kilograms worth.
Ms Hindmarch said she was not sure if people were being lazy or forgetful.
"I do know, a lot of people will say, 'Oh, well I'll put it there', and then they'll finish their walk and come back but sometimes you can just forget."
She said the clean-up days have been a success in creating awareness around proper disposal of rubbish at beaches.
"It's just that little reminder that we want to keep enjoying this space, so there are bins here — or just take it home," she said.
Not an isolated problem
Graeme Lloyd, the Queensland coordinator for Sea Shepherd's Marine Debris campaign, said if dog owners are going to take time to bag droppings, they should take the time to bin them.
"There is a lot of dog poo bags that people have picked up and then just decided that it belongs in the bush instead of taking it home with them," Mr Lloyd said.
Some Sunshine Coast dog owners have told the ABC the issue is not an isolated problem.
Quinton from Kawana said he notices used dog poo bags every day on his walks at local beaches.
"I'm walking the Kawana beaches once a day, Buddina Beach mostly, and it's in the access ways, it's in the dunes, it's down in the intertidal zone," he said.
He said he had spoken to some dog walkers about the litter.
"When you confront people about it, they've always got an excuse," he said.
"Often they're like, 'Oh well."
Quinton said he was worried the bags could be harmful to nesting turtles in the region.
"Buddina Beach is one of the biggest of the hatcheries on this end of the coast," he said.
"I brought up my worries with the turtle volunteers."
Council rules not a deterrent
Sunshine Coast Council's website stipulates that all dog waste must be removed and disposed of properly at beaches and dog parks in the region.
Ms Hindmarch said there needs to be greater awareness around the proper disposal of plastic bags.
"Obviously we understand why they're needed," she said.
Chris Lloyd, a dog owner from Mountain Creek, said more bin points were perhaps the solution.
"We've got to carry the bags around with us on our walk until we find a bin," he said.
He said he has found carrying extra bags is beneficial.
"One thing you do need to remember is you need an extra couple of bags to wrap them in," he said.
"Because even though you've you've got them in a bag, you got to put them in another couple of bags otherwise they just stink."
Sunshine Coast Council said in a statement that it was aware of an ongoing problem at Mudjimba beach.
"Dog waste bags discarded on the beach are smelly, unsightly and harmful to our wildlife and environment," a spokesperson said.
"There are nine waste bins in the park area that are emptied either daily or twice daily during peak times."
Earlier this year, council held hold pop-up education booths at Mudjimba, Twin Waters, Marcoola, Coolum, Currimundi Lake, Ballinger Beach and Golden Beach to promote responsible pet owner responsibilities.
