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Households can drop off fire extinguishers for free at your local Community Recycling Centre, located at Summerhill Waste Management Centre, or at the next Household Chemical Clean Out event.

Fire extinguishers should not be placed in your household bin. They contain a number of chemicals that can be harmful to the environment if disposed of incorrectly.

Yellow fire extinguishers containing halogens are banned. Contact the NSW Fire Brigades on 4927 2520 for correct disposal points.

Bulbeck, situated in Mayfield West, will depressurise extinguishers and recycle the scrap metal for a small fee (about $10). Contact Bulbeck on 4927 6632 for more information.

Roads and Maritime has an Expired Flares collection program to help boaters dispose of expired flares at temporary mobile collections at boat ramps along the NSW coast. Visit the Roads and Maritime website for collection dates in Newcastle and surrounding areas.

Fluoro globes should not be disposed in any of your household bins. These light globes contain mercury which is a highly toxic substance, so it is important that they are disposed of correctly.

Household quantities of fluorescent globes can be disposed of responsibly in one of the following ways:

• They can be brought, free of charge, to Summerhill Waste Management Centre for disposal through the Community Recycling Centre

• They can be taken to one of the Community Recycling Stations located at our Customer Enquiry Centre, Newcastle Museum and Wallsend Library (free drop-off)

• They can be taken to a free household Chemical CleanOut event

Fluoro tubes should not be disposed in any of your household bins. These light globes contain mercury which is a highly toxic substance, so it is important that they are disposed of correctly.
 
Household quantities of fluorescent tubes can be disposed of responsibly in one of the following ways:

• They can be brought, free of charge, to Summerhill Waste Management Centre for disposal through the Community Recycling Centre

• They can be taken to a free household Chemical CleanOut event.

Food waste should be placed in your red lid general waste bin.

When thrown in the general waste bin and sent to landfill, food scraps break down without the presence of oxygen (anaerobic breakdown). This process produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Technologies have been introduced at Summerhill Waste Management Centre to help capture methane gas and use it to produce green electricity.

Home composting and worm farming are great ways to reduce the greenhouse gases associated with food waste. Unlike the landfill environment, these processes allow oxygen to circulate around the food scraps, reducing the generation of methane gas.

Fridges and freezers can be disposed of in a number of ways, including:

Free disposal at Summerhill Waste Management Centre using a self-haul (tipping) voucher through our Bulk Waste Service (please note: fridges and freezers cannot be put out for a kerbside collection unless de-gassed and certified by a licensed technician - please refer to the information under Fridge/freezer and air-conditioning unit disposal options).

Disposing them at Summerhill Waste Management Centre for the applicable fee.

Taking them to a local metal recycler, who may accept it at no charge, and may also pay you for the items. You may also be able to arrange for them to collect the items for you (charges may apply).

Consider giving your old furniture a new lease of life by donating it to local charities or op shops. You could also sell your items, or list them for free collection, via online trading sites (such as Gumtree, Ebay or the Trading Post), local newspaper classifieds, or by holding a garage sale.

If your furniture is beyond repair, you can book a kerbside collection or request a self-haul (tipping) voucher through Council's Bulk Waste Service.

If you have already made use of your Bulk Waste entitlements within a 12-month period, furniture can be disposed of at Summerhill Waste Management Centre at regular fees and charges.

Garden waste, including grass clippings, prunings, twigs, bark and leaves, can be placed in your green lid green waste bin.

Large tree branches, stumps and logs cannot be placed in your kerbside bins. These can be taken to Summerhill Waste Management Centre (fees and charges) apply.

You can also dispose of garden waste using a self-haul (tipping) voucher through our Bulk Waste Service. Garden waste is not accepted via the kerbside pickup option offered through this service, except for branches under 100mm (10cm) in diameter.

If you have the backyard space, compost bins, worm farms or chooks are a great way to recycle garden waste and food scraps. You will be helping the environment while creating a natural fertiliser for your garden.

Gas bottles should never be placed in any of your kerbside bins as they can explode when compacted in the collection vehicle or at the landfill.

Before purchasing a gas bottle, consider using refill/swap bottles through your local service station.

If you are unsure of the quality of a gas cylinder or bottle, take it along to your local camping store or gas refill centre for testing. Out of date cylinders must be degassed and destroyed through approved facilities.

Unwanted gas bottles and cylinders can be dropped off free of charge at a household Chemical CleanOut day or at a permanent Community Recycling Centre.

Glass bottles and jars can be placed in your yellow lid recycling bin.

The bottles and jars do not need to be clean to be recycled, but please make sure they do not contain food or liquid. Although both the bottles/jars and their lids can be recycled, please place them into your recycling bin separately so that they can be sorted correctly at the materials recovery facility.

Drinking glasses, Pyrex and glass ovenware, window and mirror glass, and light globes (see compact fluorescent light globes) must not be placed in your kerbside recycling bin. These types of glass have a much higher melting temperature than glass bottles and jars and they cannot be recycled together.

Clean glass bottles and jars can also be reused for storing items around the house, or donated to local community groups and fetes for jams and other preserves.

Greeting cards are made from paper and can be placed in your yellow lid recycling bin.

You can repurpose your old cards by cutting them up and using them to make gift tags, or by donating them to preschools and hobby groups to be reused in craft activities.

Heaters can be recycled at Summerhill Waste Mangement Centre, free of charge, as scrap metal.
Oil heaters will need to have the oil drained or removed from the heater before disposal. The removed oil can be disposed of seperately at Summerhill's Community Recycling Centre, free of charge.

They can also be placed out for collection through our bulk waste service.

Metal hot water systems can be recycled at Summerhill Waste Management Centre, free of charge, as scrap metal.

They can also be placed out for collection through our bulk waste service.

If purchasing a new mattress, ask the retailer if they will collect your old mattress when your new mattress is delivered.

Residents can dispose of mattresses free of charge through our Bulk Waste Service.

You can also take your mattress to Summerhill Waste Management Centre (fees and charges apply), or arrange an in-home collection through a local mattress recycler (fees apply).

Medicines can have a significant impact on the environment if they are disposed of incorrectly. Substances such as antibiotics can have large impacts on naturally occurring bacteria in an ecosystem, potentially effecting the entire food chain.

The safest and most effective way to dispose of medicines is through the Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) program (free call 1300 650 835). All pharmacies accept unwanted and unused medicines for safe disposal as part of this program.

Around one million milk crates go missing each year. The loss of these crates impacts Australian farmers and it also impacts our environment.

If you have or find any milk crates, contact Dairy Farmers on 1800 000 570 or email milkcrates@dairyfarmers.com.au to arrange a free pick up.

MobileMuster is a not for profit recycling program for mobile phones, batteries and accessories.  All phones are recycled to the highest environmental standards, none are refurbished and sold.

Visit the MobileMuster website to find your nearest recycling drop-off point for mobile phones, batteries and accessories. City of Newcastle provides several registered collection points via the Community Recycling Stations at selected facilities.

You can also pick up a free reply-paid MobileMuster satchel at participating Australia Post and JB Hi-Fi stores to post your unwanted mobile phone, battery or charger.

Newcastle residents can recycle household quantities of unwanted motor oil free of charge at selected Supercheap Auto Stores. This includes sump, gear box, power steering, differential and transmission oils as well as oil found in column heaters. Oil must be in plastic containers with securely fastened lids (maximum 5 litre size).

Motor oil can also be disposed of free of charge at Household Chemical CleanOut events and Community Recycling Centres.