Shadow Minister for Environment Kate Washington and her Labor colleague Anna Watson used a regional stop on Friday to highlight the upcoming vote to ban single-use plastic bags in NSW.
They were joined by Sarah McGuinness and Jasmine Rapela of the Plastic Free Kiama group, who backed their calls urging the government to pass Labor's Bill to ban single-use plastic bags across the state.
Ms Washington feared while Environment Minister Matt Kean supported banning the bags, his boss and party were planning to block the Bill.
"NSW is the only state in the country that is yet to ban single-use plastic bags and it is time that we did it," she said.
"The fact that NSW is the only state in Australia that hasn't banned single-use plastic bags reflects shamefully on this Government.
"The only thing it seems getting in the way of single-use plastic bags being banned in NSW is the Premier and her petty politics."
The private members Bill passed 18-16 in a "shock" Upper House vote last week and will come to the Lower House at the next sitting of Parliament, in about two weeks' time.
Statistics show that Australia uses four billion disposable plastic bags every year, or 10 million every single day.
While plastic bags are only used for an average of 12 minutes each, they can take 1000 years to break down.
Shellharbour MP Anna Watson urged Kiama and South Coast MPs Gareth Ward and Shelly Hancock to back their communities, back their environment and actually vote in favour of the Bill.
"There is not one reason why this shouldn't happen, yet there is 10 million reasons everyday why it should, and that's because 10 million single plastic bags are going into our environment every day," Ms Watson said.
"They are going into our waterways, they are going into our rivers, to our lakes, they are hurting our sea life and our bird life.
"If they [Ward & Hancock} care about the environment they will back the Bill. If they want to play petty politics, then they won't, but they will have to answer to their communities who are supporting this Bill."
Ms McGuinness from Plastic Free Kiama said the seaside community valued the environment.
"We want to reduce plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans, and we want Gareth Ward and Shelley Hancock to bring NSW into line with every other state and vote to ban single use plastic bags," she said.
"It is important to support those people who want to make a change. Banning the plastic bags is a starting point to a better environment and I think it is something we should all be behind."
Her fellow group member Mrs Rapela urged residents not to lose hope if the government voted against banning single-use plastic bags.
"Take it upon yourself to make the change and eventually that will catch on in government," she said.
"It doesn't have to be complicated to make some changes in your life. There are simple solutions such as reusable coffee cups, reusable bags and reusable straws.
"Just think reusable, there is no use for single use anymore.
"There is so many alternatives on the market and it is all about eliminating waste in general and getting rid of the single-use plastic bags."
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