Disposal of other household waste

Do you have unwanted items such as old mattresses, electronic equipment, chemicals or sharps?   

Have a read of our Waste & Recycling Directory(PDF, 190KB)  to find out how you can correctly dispose of materials for recycling that aren't suitable to be placed in your household bins.


Donate unwanted items

Give your unwanted items a new home!

Local charities generally accept quality homewares, furniture in good condition, books, CDs, bedding, towels and quality clothing. Always place your items in a donation bin or take them into the shop to guarantee that your goods will not get destroyed or damaged by weather or others. 

Mattress Drop-Off

Did you know that mattresses contain valuable materials such as steel, timber and foam which can be recycled? 

Mattresses also take up a lot of space in our landfill, so Council runs three FREE Mattress Drop-Off events each year. Mattress Drop-Off locations and dates for 2024 are now completed. The following dates will be the first drop-off events for 2025:

  • 22 February 2025 (Cessnock)
  • 28 June 2025 (Kurri Kurri)

The following conditions apply:

  • Cessnock City Council residents only - proof required
  • Four mattresses or bases accepted per household per year
  • No pedestrian access - vehicles only
  • Bulk or commercial quantities will not be accepted

If you're unable to make one of these sessions, mattresses can be disposed of at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre for a fee of $44.

Household Chemical CleanOut

The safest way to dispose of potentially hazardous household chemicals is at a Household Chemical CleanOut event. It's a FREE service for the safe disposal of a range of household chemicals that could cause harm to human health and the environment if they are not disposed of correctly.

CleanOut events are held at locations throughout NSW. Check out the CleanOut website for a full list of accepted items and conditions of use. 

Our next Chemical CleanOut will be held on 8 June 2025

The following conditions apply:

  • Only household quantities accepted. Maximum container size of 20kg or 20L per item.
  • Up to 100L of paint (in 20L containers) accepted.

Electronic waste

Electronic waste (or e-waste) can be taken to the Cessnock Waste Management Centre (free for domestic customers). Ask us how to get a discount voucher when you drop materials off at the Community Recycling Centre.

 The following electronic equipment is accepted:

  • TVs and DVDs
  • computers, laptops, monitors and printers
  • CD drives, hardrives and cables

Please note: Other electrical items are not accepted as electronic waste. 

Disposal of sharps

Needles, syringes, lancets and other injection equipment should be disposed of correctly to minimise infection to others in the community. Sharps should never be disposed of in household waste and recycling bins or flushed down toilets or drains due to the high risk of injury to workers and community members.

You can dispose of sharps waste at a number of chemists and pharmacies in Cessnock (check our guide to safe disposal of community sharps):

  • Abermain Pharmacy - 193 Cessnock Road, Abermain
  • Branxton Pharmacy - 56 Maaitland St, Branxton
  • Cessnock Plaza Pharmacy Cnr Cooper Street and Keene Street, Cessnock
  • The Chemist Cessnock - 52A Vincent St, Cessnock
  • Priceline Pharmacy - Shop 8. Cnr North Avenue and Darwin Street, Cessnock
  • Greta Pharmacy - 104 High St, Greta
  • Kurri Pharmacy - 169-173 Lang St Your Discount Chemist, Kurri Kurri

24-hour drop-off facilities are also available at:

  • Cessnock Hospital - Bin is located in the carpark off Forster Street entrance
  • Kurri Kurri Hospital - Bin is located at the rear down the last driveway of Hospital Street

Further information on sharps and their disposal can be found at: NSW Health.

Special medical sharps containers can be purchased from selected pharmacies.

Batteries

The safest way to dispose of household batteries is to collect your used batteries and separate them into non-rechargeable alkaline batteries from rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Tape the terminals of your batteries and find your nearest drop-off location.

You can drop off household batteries, free of charge at the following locations:

  • Council's Administration Building at Cessnock (please hand to staff at the counter)
  • Community Recycling Centre at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre
  • Kurri Kurri Library

Bunnings, Battery World stores, Ritchies IGA, Woolworths, Officeworks, Aldi, and Big-W also accept batteries for recycling.

For more information regarding safe disposal of used batteries select from the following resources: 

YouTube Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_adFJYbxpo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-ZzII2CR3w

News articles

https://www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/News/Council-Encourages-Residents-to-Responsibly-Dispose-of-Used-Batteries

Community Recycling Centre Page

https://www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/Residents/Waste/Cessnock-Waste-Management-Centre/Community-Recycling-Centre

DrumMUSTER

DrumMUSTER provides a drop off point for eligible agricultural and veterinary chemical containers at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre. The service is available year round.

To dispose of eligible containers, please contact Customer Service on (02) 4993 4100 to request a drumMUSTER drop off at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre.

Mobile phones

Did you know that you can safely dispose of used mobile phones, free of charge, at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre, Council Admin Building and Libraries.

Both the Optus Store and Network Communication in Cessnock, also accept mobile phones for recycling.

A number of these projects are supported by the NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.