VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The U.S. Navy says two Virginia-based sailors threw compacted trash off their ship.

CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reports the table-top sized trash discs had been on the USS Whidbey Island. The landing dock ship is based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

The Navy compresses plastic waste into discs for easy storage until ships reach port. The discs were found last month washed up on beaches on North Carolina's Outer Banks. One resident said she collected 17 discs in Kill Devil Hills.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

The Navy says marking on the discs confirmed they came from the ship. So far 19 discs have been recovered. It's estimated that up to 60 were thrown overboard.

Ships are not supposed to dump plastic into the ocean. In fact, throwing trash overboard violates Navy policy and environmental regulations.

The U.S. Navy says mysterious disks of trash that washed ashore on the Outer Banks came from their vessels. Two sailors have been accused of throwing the trash over the side of the ship. WUSA-TV

Ted Brown, with the Navy's Fleet Forces Command, said the disks are supposed to be stored in a trash room until a ship reaches port, WUSA-TV reported.

The Navy says appropriate action will be taken regarding the sailors.