With winter swells buffeting the coast for more than a week now, plastic debris has been finding its way out of the sea and onto our shorelines, offering a terrifying glimpse into how much plastic resides in the ocean.

Tarbuck Bay resident Judy Donnelly picked up a bag's worth of plastic in 10 minutes while walking her dog along Blueys Beach last week, and has been doing the same every day since.

A committed advocate to reducing the amount of waste we as humans generate, she took to Facebook community page 'Pacific Palms and close surrounds pay it forward FREE' to encourage others to pick up plastic off the beach when they came across it.

"This happens whenever we have big seas," she said.

"It's generally very old and broken up. It's a symptom of what's wrong."

Mrs Donnelly said friends had told her Cellito Beach had also seen a lot of plastic washed up, and she believed it was the responsibility of everybody to help reduce the amount of rubbish escaping into our waterways.

"Let's stop it getting any worse," she said.

She pointed to the Plastic Free July initiative as a great cause people could take up to help reduce their impact on the environment.

A global movement, Plastic Free July encourages people to cut down on their use of a particular single-use plastic throughout the month of July - be it disposable coffee cups, plastic water bottles, food wrap or other packaged products - with the hope it will create more sustainable habits and lead to individuals and organisations having less of a negative impact on their natural surroundings.

Considering the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' was estimated to be three times the size of France and with a 2016 scientific study predicting there'd be more plastic in the ocean than marine life by 2050, Mrs Donnelly believed it was high time people took a more proactive approach to the issue of waste.

"Let's stop the use of single-use plastics," she said.

"It's really sad when you see these whales who have died from swallowing plastic bags, thinking they're jellyfish.

"There's always an alternative to plastics."

Surf Life Saving NSW said with strong winds and an easterly swell forecast, the region would likely see treacherous conditions continue through the week.

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