The NSW EPA says Sydney Water has to upgrade two of its treatment plants in a bid to prevent debris ‘balls’ from again washing up on beaches.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) gave the water utility the pollution reduction directive that calls for more work, including fat removal from the Malabar Deep Ocean Outfall bulkhead area.
The directive follows the identification of the Malabar Wastewater Treatment plant as the likely source of debris balls that sporadically washed up on NSW beaches since October 2024.
The agency analysed the balls in November 2025 and found they contained mainly fatty acids, some petroleum hydrocarbons and other materials, including human hair and fibres.
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The EPA says Sydney Water is required to carry out short, medium and long-term actions. This includes:
removing built-up fats, oils and grease from a hard-to-access bulkhead in the deep ocean outfall at Malabar;
running education campaigns for groups and businesses like cafes and restaurants to reduce the amount of fats, oils and grease entering the wastewater system;
long-term upgrades at Glenfield and Liverpool treatment plants to ease the load on the Malabar plant;
capture debris that overflows from the sewer during storms;
research the formation and weathering of debris balls to make it easier to track them;
look at using AI to watch for the formation of debris balls.
NSW EPA Executive Director Operations Steve Beaman describes the changes as a detailed response to the pollution emergency.
“We’ve strengthened Sydney Water’s Environment Protection Licences following a statutory review last year which included extensive public consultation,” he says.
“Sydney Water is responsible for ensuring it doesn’t pollute our beautiful beaches, and this important work is a step towards that.”
He concedes that debris balls are “a complex problem” but says the EPA will continue to regulate Sydney Water to protect the environment.
From late 2024, debris balls were found on beaches across the Central Coast, Northern Beaches, Kurnell (Silver Beach), South Coast and Eastern Suburbs.
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