General waste

Cessnock City Council operates a weekly kerbside collection service across most of the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA).

To request a new waste service, please complete the online new waste service application. 

Find your collection day

To find the collection day of your general waste bin - head to either Recycling Collection Days or Organic Waste Collection Days and fill in your address details, your general waste collection day will be the same day as either of these each week. 

Your recycling (yellow lid) and garden organics (green lid) bins are serviced on alternate weeks, on the same day as your red lid bin.

General waste bins

The majority of our general waste bins have a red lid (some older bins may have a dark green lid which are being progressively phased out). The contents of this bin are sent to landfill at Council’s Waste Management Centre.

Items to be placed in your waste bin

  • All plastic bags, soft plastics and packaging, wrappers and bubble wrap
  • Wire, string, rope, hoses
  • All foam packaging
  • Food
  • Nappies, hygiene items and wipes
  • Pet waste and kitty litter
  • Cigarette butts
  • Treated timber
  • Laminated paper and stickers
  • Old textiles such as clothing, doonas, pillows, etc.

Items NOT to be placed in your waste bin

  • Car / household batteries
  • Scrap metal
  • Car / auto parts
  • Gas bottles
  • Hot ashes
  • Motor oil
  • Building materials or concrete
  • Garden waste or recyclables
  • Hazardous materials (e.g. asbestos, chemicals, paint,)
  • Medical waste

Click here for more information about how to dispose of these items safely.

How to ensure your rubbish is collected

  • Ensure your bin is at the kerbside by 5.00am the morning of collection and is clear of obstructions. Council isn't obliged to return to collect bins which aren’t out in time. Fleet management systems (including cameras and GPS tracking) fitted in all collection vehicles can verify if the bin was out in time.
  • Bins should be spaced at least one metre apart.  
  • Don't park cars in front of bins. Council will not return to service bins that are obscured by parked vehicles.
  • Always ensure that bin lids are closed. Overfilled bins causing lids to remain open won't be emptied.
  • Council will only service Council bins that are registered to the property address. Bins from other council areas, other properties, hardware stores, etc will not be serviced by Council.
  • Please retrieve your bin from the kerbside as soon as practicable after service. 
  • Filled bin weight must not exceed 65kg.

Your bins always remain the property of Council for the purpose of garbage disposal. They should not be used for any other purpose or removed from the original property to which it was supplied (serial numbers of bins are recorded in property files).

What if my bin is missed, damaged or lost?

Damaged 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.

Other bins

RECYCLING Yellow Lid Bin
Contact Hunter Resource Recovery on 1800 838 884 or https://hrr.com.au/

GARDEN ORGANICS Green Lid Bin
Contact Solo on 1800 870 250 or https://www.solo.com.au/

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