Your Waste Service

Your Red-General Waste bin is emptied weekly unless you opt in to the fortnightly collection service.

The waste service is maintained by Council with the contents landfilled at Council’s Waste Management Centre. Some older bins may still have a dark green lid (the same colour as the body), which are progressively being phased out. If you have a green lid contact Customer Service 02 4993 4100 and request a new red lid.

What can go in your general waste bin:

• Soft plastics, foam packaging, wrappers, bubble wrap
• Wire, string, rope, hoses
• Nappies, hygiene items, wipes
• Pet waste and droppings, kitty litter
• Cigarette butts
• Treated timber
• Laminated paper, stickers
• Textiles, clothing, doonas, pillows

Tips and Hints:

• Resist jamming or compacting waste into the bin as it may become stuck.
• See if anything can be recycled, re-purposed, or donated before you toss it.
• Avoid overflowing you bin (max 80kg).
• If you bin is broken or cracked, contact Council to arrange free repair or replacement.
• If smells are an issue, try placing a small amount of vinegar or eucalyptus/mint oil in the bottom of your bin.

Fortnightly Collection Options

If your general waste bin is often mostly empty, you can choose to opt in to a fortnightly collection instead. Under this option, your red bin will be collected every second week, alternating with your recycling bin, and a new sticker will be applied to clearly identify your bin as part of the fortnightly service.

Residents who switch to fortnightly general waste collection will receive a pro-rata discount applied from their allocated start date. A minimum commitment of three months is required. To request a change to fortnightly waste collection, please complete the online Opt-In Fortnightly General Waste Collection Form here. Property owners can revert back to a weekly general waste collection by completing the Cancellation of an Opt-In Fortnightly General Waste Collection From here.

Note: The standard full waste service charge will be applied on the property from the date of application. 

Your Yellow-Recycling bin is emptied fortnightly.

The recycling service is contracted to Hunter Resource Recovery (HRR). Review the Live Calander (found on the Waste homepage) or download the LoopedInCouncils new waste app for free via the Apple App Store or Google Play.

What can go in your recycling bin:

• Paper, cardboard
• Newspapers, books, glossy magazines
• Empty pizza boxes
• Glass bottles and jars
• Steel and aluminium tins and cans
• All rigid plastic liquid and food containers (fruit punnets, shampoo bottles, empty takeaway contriners)

Tips and Hints:

• Items should be placed loose in the bin NOT in plastic bags.
• Flatten boxes to make more space.
• Give containers and quick rinse/scrape to remove excess food and stop odours.
• Avoid excess packaging by buying in bulk and using reusable containers.

If in doubt – leave it out!

Look out for the Australian Recycling Label on products that you buy. It shows what needs to be done with each piece of a package to dispose of it in the best way.

Return & Earn

The Return and Earn container deposit scheme allows consumers to return containers at several locations across the LGA, in exchange for a 10 cent refund per container. A full list of items and locations can be found here. 

Your Green-Organics bin is emptied weekly.

The organics service is contracted to Solo Resource Recovery and Australian Native Landscapes. The material collected in your organics bin is processed at Tea Gardens, where it's made into a high quality compost for use by home gardeners and farmers.

What can go in your organics bin:

• Grass clippings, prunings, weeds
• Flowers, plants, leaves
• Bark, sticks, small branches and roots (max diameter 10cm)
• Fruit, vegetable scraps
• Meat, bones, cooked leftovers
• Eggshells, bread, dairy

Tips and Hints:

• Place material loosely in your bin - don’t squash it down as it may become stuck in your bin.
• Avoid overflowing you bin (max 80kg).
• Put garden organics (grass clippings) in the bottom to prevent sticking.
• Reduce excess moisture by mowing when it’s dry or leaving the bin lid ajar.

If it grows – in it goes!

Contamination is a serious problem for safety of staff and the quality of compost produced. If you’re unsure of what can be accepted check out the Interactive A-Z Guide above.

Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) Collection

The NSW Government has mandated the inclusion of food waste into the green bin collection services across all Councils in NSW by 2030.

Cessnock, alongside Maitland and Singleton Councils, rolled out food organic recycling from the week commencing 30 June 2025. The expanded food and garden organic service included weekly collection of your green bin from this time. 

Delivery of a kitchen caddy and compostable liners to all households with a Council waste service (50% funded by a NSW EPA Go FOGO Grant) has now been completed. This will help you move food waste from your kitchen to your food and garden organics bin.

Kitchen Caddy

Replacement caddies are available for purchase at cost price (approx. $5 - see Council's current Fees and Charges here. If you compost or are already using a caddy system at home, continue to do so! You can collect food scraps in any container that suits your kitchen size and design. A reused ice cream container also works.

Compostable Liners

Council liners are supplied specifically for the use of FOGO. To ensure your liners last longer, only use them to collect food scraps from your kitchen. You can also put food in loose without using a liner. If you do want to use liners, you can only use Council approved liners. Do not use plastic bags or “biodegradable” liners. Each household receives a roll of 150 council-approved compostable liners delivered annually. These liners are for use in your kitchen caddy to collect food waste before emptying it into your green-lidded organics bin. If you run out, you can collect FREE top-up packs of 50 liners from one of our local collection points. Visit one of the collection points below and ask a staff member for assistance. Please note, a limit of one pack per visit, per household. Proof of residency will be required upon collection.

If your house did not receive a caddy and/or compostable liner kit please email your name and property address to: waste.admin@cessnock.nsw.gov.au and the team will be in touch to arrange. New homes will receive a starter kit (of caddy and liners) with the delivery of their new waste service bins.

Find out more about FOGO here.

Your general waste bin is collected weekly as standard (as per Council's Waste Management Policy), unless you choose to opt in to the fortnightly general waste collection.

No. Council’s Waste Management Policy states that landlords must have the tenant’s agreement before changing to an alternate waste collection service.

If you have opted in to fortnightly general waste collection, your bin will be collected on the opposite week to your recycling bin. Your general waste bin will also have a sticker so drivers can easily identify it.

If unacceptable items, or contamination, are placed in your bin, it may not be emptied. All trucks have on-board cameras that allow drivers to identify contamination. If your bin is contaminated the collection driver will place a sticker on the bin to advise why the bin was not emptied. The bin will only be emptied once the contaminant has been removed. If your bin is stickered again for non-conformance, your service may be suspended.

Red-General Waste Bin

• Damaged Red-General Waste bins or missed collections can be reported to our customer service team on (02) 4993 4100 or report via this link.
• Stolen or lost general waste bins can be reported to customer service team on (02) 4993 4100 and a replacement bin will be arranged. 

Yellow-Recycling Bin

Contact Hunter Resource Recovery on 1800 838 884 or https://hrr.com.au/ for any questions or concerns regarding your Yellow-Recycling bin.

Green-Organics Bin

Your bins always remain the property of Council for the purpose of garbage disposal.

You can swap your existing 240 litre recycling bin to a larger 360 litre bin for a one-off fee, by completing an Upsize Recycle Bin for here. 

Your recycling bin will be swapped on your regular recycling day. Please leave your recycling bin on the kerb until 5pm so it can be emptied and swapped over. It may take up to eight weeks after your application is received for your bin to be swapped.

The 240 litre recycling bin is 68cm wide and 85cm deep at the top (it tapers at the base) and 1.1 metres high. By comparison, the 360 litre recycling bin is 10cm wider, 12cm deeper and 4cm taller than the standard 240 litre recycling bin. A sample 360 litre bin is on display in the foyer of Council's Administration Building for those wishing to view before swapping.

Note: the weight limit of the 360 litre bin is 80 kilograms (same as the standard 240 litre bin). This limit doesn't cause an issue unless it's filled with large amounts of glass or paper.

If you require an additional Red-General Waste bin, a full three (3) bin service must be paid.

If you want an additional Yellow-Recycling and/or Green-Organics bin please complete apply the Additional Waste Services form here.

Alternate Waste Vouchers allows up to 20 kg of mixed waste to be disposed of at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre. The vouchers cannot be used for special waste such as asbestos, tyres and mattresses.

Alternate Recycling Vouchers allows up to 20 kg of cardboard and commingled recyclables to be disposed of at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre. These vouchers cannot be used for any other waste.

Residential properties in the Cessnock local government area that are outside the domestic waste management service area (i.e. do not receive a kerbside collection) are eligible to purchase Alternate Waste and/or Recycling Vouchers.

The vouchers are for residential waste only and cannot be purchased by commercial premises or used for commercial generated waste.

Refunds will not be provided, however up to 10 vouchers each of waste and recycling (maximum 20) from the previous financial year can be exchanged for current vouchers.

Vouchers are valid until 31 August and can be exchanged between 1 September and 1 October only.