Items washed out by floods travel in the opposite direction to garbage dumped at sea, according to new research from the Central Queensland University.

Researchers have been surveying the path of debris cast out to see in flood events using small tracking devices placed in plastic bottles floating at sea. The survey is trying to identify where debris and rubbish that are dumped into the Coral Sea may go, and what effect it would have on its way.

Researcher Scott Wilson from CQ University's Centre for Environmental Management in Gladstone says normally rubbish tends to float north. However, in a somewhat counter-intuitive revelation of the new study, when fast-flowing rivers are discharge floodwater debris is pushed outside of the Great Barrier Reef, where it floats south and can wash up on shores anywhere between here and South America.

“I've seen whole couches wash up, fridges, TVs, you name it. If it gets out through the reef then it's likely to move south with the east Australian current,” Mr Wilson said.