A clean-up effort is underway on Tasmania's Bruny Island after reports of a bean bag bursting on a beach which could pose a risk to local marine life.
The tiny balls were scattered throughout a stretch of the sand at Adventure Bay, along with some in the adjoining bushland.
Discovery Ranger Claire Mason from the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) found out about the litter on Friday and understood the balls came from a burst bean bag.
"On the beach and a bit of the bush alongside the beach there are thousands, if not millions, of tiny little polystyrene balls," she said.
The polystyrene balls can cause serious environmental damage.
"Polystyrene is kind of aerated plastic and so when that gets out into the ocean it floats on the surface, so it can travel a really long way because it's so light-weight," Ms Mason said.
"We're really worried that marine life, especially seabirds, eat it and mistake it for food.
"That can cause blockages and cause them to feel full and then starve."
PWS feared chemicals in the tiny balls could also cause problems.
"Because it's plastic it contains heaps of toxic chemicals," Ms Mason said.
"When they break down in the ocean or when they're inside birds or other marine life, it leaches into their muscles and tissues and organs and can cause all kinds of disease and negative health impacts."
Parks staff and members of the public have been picking up the balls by hand.
The wind direction had helped blow many of them up onto the sand and into the bush, rather than into the water.
Ms Mason said an organised clean-up event would run on Wednesday morning.
"I'll be there with some bags and sieves and we can try to finish it."
People need 'education and awareness'
Bob Graham, the convenor of the Bruny Island Environment Network, said people treating the island's environment poorly was an almost daily occurrence.
"I could talk for half an hour on the sorts of instances we come across almost every day," he said.
There have been increasing reports of littering on Bruny Island as the island's reputation as a tourist draw card has grown.
Mr Graham said people needed to take the time to learn about the island environment.
"It's special because it's relatively intact, it's suffered less damage than environmental features in other parts of Australia and Tasmania," he said.
"It is a very intricate complex of birds and animals and vegetation and different environments and habitats.
"It's like understanding your own backyard, unless you understand it and know how it works you can't look after it properly."
.jpg?w=600)
