Blockade Australia protesters were among a group of 50 to 60 activists who converged on Hyde Park about 8am on Monday, before marching towards the harbour, chanting, playing drums, pulling down signs, dragging wheelie bins onto the road and blocking intersections.
Paul Toole said the protesters had no concern for the public and had spent the morning throwing milk crates, garbage bins and other rubbish throughout the city centre.
"I would say this to the protesters: Go and get a real job," he said.
"Go and talk to somebody who's actually been delayed in getting to work today."
The protesters were met with a large police presence, including officers on horseback and in helicopters overhead.
They dispersed when police stopped them at the intersection of George and Bridge streets, blocking access to the Harbour Bridge.
One of the women arrested included a 22-year-old who chained herself to the steering wheel of her car and blocked the Harbour Tunnel during the morning peak.
Blockade Australia live-streamed a video of the woman, who they claimed was from Lismore, as she blocked all citybound lanes of traffic for about an hour.
The woman will face newly-implemented penalties that target protests on major roads, ports and railways, and faces two years in prison and a fine of $22,000.
"The behaviour of this group was nothing short of criminal activity," Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan told reporters.
"The throwing of bicycles, the throwing of garbage bins, the throwing of other items in the path of police, in the path of media, in the path of innocent members of the public just walking by, will not be tolerated and cannot be by the people of NSW."
Blockade Australia have previously held disruptive protests on the Harbour Bridge, the Spit Bridge and Port Botany.
Mr Dunstan said the haphazard nature of Blockade Australia's tactics proved to be troublesome for police, before arrests were made.
"The group this morning was highly unorganised and erratic, and they were moving throughout the CBD in an unstructured format. It was difficult to get ahead of them," he said.
Labor Leader Chris Minns said it was not sustainable for the protesters to routinely bring Sydney to a standstill.
"We may have had women waiting to get to emergency departments, birthing centres to give birth to children or (other) emergencies," Mr Minns said Monday.
He added that the Albanese Labor government had committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and had ambitious interim targets for 2030.
Blockade Australia said it would continue to cause disruptions all week but did not specify the type of action.
Sally-Ann Brown, an organiser with the group, defended the necessity of the small and scattered demonstration saying it was needed because policymakers were not listening.
She urged ordinary citizens to participate in the environmental call-out.
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