The peak body for local councils in NSW has now backed Wollongong's call for the State Government to get involved in developing a mandatory code of practice for builders using the polystyrene material.

This stance came after Wollongong brought a motion to the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) conference in Liverpool this week calling for action.

Councils agreed "that LGNSW lobbies the NSW State Government to investigate ways of ensuring that waste from building and construction sites is minimised, properly managed, recycled and disposed, with appropriately scaled fines for non-compliance".

Waffle pods are moulded polystyrene blocks that make for cheap void-shaping formwork when laying concrete slabs. They can reduce the amount of concrete used and cut costs.

But their light weight makes them susceptible to being blown off-site in strong winds - and into any land or water that may be nearby.

This is what happened in July and August, as well as many other less-prominent occasions.

While local councils usually manage building site regulation, a Wollongong City Council spokesman said the state could enforce a mandatory code.

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"As these pods can cause damage in the environment it's essential that the State Government is involved in mandating a compulsory code for the storage and management of waffle pods on building sites," a council spokesman said.

"Most dwellings are approved as complying development and therefore the only conditions that can be applied are the State Prescribed Conditions of Approval.

"These conditions do not include the appropriate management of materials on site, as we have seen in West Dapto."

Council had been lobbying on other fronts.

"Following the work undertaken by council to retrieve waffle pods from land and water ways in July and August, council has contacted the expanded polystrene industry group (Expanded Polystrene Australia), developers, suppliers and builders to discuss delivery and management of these pods," the spokesman said.

"Council has written to both the NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation and the Minister for the Environment expressing concern and requesting a solution which would involve a compulsory code of practice for this material."