The centre, established by the Cessnock City Council through a $183,260 grant, is designed for residents who need to drop off problems wastes.

All accepted items include: gas bottles, fire extinguishers, motor and other oils, car batteries, household batteries, smoke detectors, fluoro globes and tubes and paint.

The $183,260 grant was received through the state government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, and the funding from the NSW body means that the recycling centre will be free.  

Scot MacDonald believes that the facility is important for controling waste and illegal dumping in the area.

“Establishing this recycling facility will help the NSW Government keep problem wastes out of landfill and help reduce illegal dumping,” Mr MacDonald said. ““We want to encourage communities to recycle problem wastes to help prevent contaminants from entering the environment.”

“The centre will complement the community’s existing recycling services, minimise waste and increase recycling. The NSW Government is dedicated to improving the collection and recycling of household problem waste and has dedicated $127 million to establish new systems, such as the Community Recycling Centre network under the Waste Less, Recycle Moreinitiative”.

Cessnock City Mayor Bob Pynsent was also present at the opening of the recycling centre, and said it was an important milestone for the community.

“We are committed to ensuring our community has access to increased opportunities to recycle, the CRC is a wonderful addition to the Cessnock Waste Management Centre and I look forward to seeing it heavily utilised by our residents” Mr Pynsent said.

The Community Recycling Centre is located at 1967 Old Maitland Road, Cessnock.