Far south coast New South Wales wildlife carers say they're not surprised by research showing a dramatic increase in the number of seabirds eating plastic debris.

A study by the CSIRO and Imperial College London has found the number of seabird species ingesting plastic has increased from 20 per cent in the 1960s to 90 per cent.

Australian Seabird Rescue rehabilitation officer Betty Spilsted has helped birds in trouble along the south coast.

She said she had seen an increase in plastic pollution in the region.

"You can go along any lake front, foreshore, beach, anywhere along the south coast and you can pick up just so much plastic," she said.

"The latest horror is the plastic tops they put on the hot coffee."

Ms Spilsted said many birds and animals were also becoming tangled in plastic bags or fishing line.

"In the Wollongong area, counting down to the odd one at Bermagui, we're up to bird number 1204," she said.

"That's just pelicans, that's not all the seagulls.

"There was a seagull in Wollongong Harbour the other day with a plastic bag wrapped around its legs.

"It could fly but it couldn't walk so it was landing on its belly.

"It's hideous."

Ms Spilsted said a rare leatherback sea turtle also died at Shellharbour in March after a plastic blockage in its gut prevented it from being able to dive below the surface of the water.

"It died from a plastic bag and it also had severe bruising on its back," she said.

"That's obviously (from) being hit by a big boat or ship because he couldn't dive.

"He was considered so important that National Parks have buried him and they will exhume him in about 12 months' time and put him on display at the museum."

Call for re-think on plastic

Ms Spilsted said the far south coast community needed to make changes to reduce pollution.

"I think they should re-look at how things are packaged," she said.

"And (we should) definitely ban helium balloons because, let's face it, they're just a money-making thing.

"Helium's not a natural product, it has to be manufactured, and helium is used for nuclear medicine, so why are we wasting it on balloons... Guess where it goes."