The centre, within Port Macquarie Waste Management Facility in Kingfisher Road, was made possible through a $30,000 Waste Less Recycle More grant from the state government.

"It's a free service for the community and we have found we get a lot of car batteries and oil and water-based paints," Port Macquarie-Hastings Council waste project officer Nicky Julian said. "We want the community to drop things off and not dump things illegally or put them in their bins."

The recycling facility has been upgraded to help improve the year-round collection and storage of household problem wastes.

"The benefits to the community are that the material is collected and then processed by a specialised contractor and the facility is open seven days a week from 8am until 4pm," Mrs Julian said.

"The main focus is on safety mainly and the community will save about $70,000 a year and we've also found that material dropped off at this facility has been increasing. "The facility will complement the existing regional Chemical CleanOut events to ensure that these wastes are kept out of landfill where they may harm the environment and help to minimise waste and boost recycling."

Ms Julian said if hazardous materials were disposed of correctly it would continue to benefit the local community over time.

"Most importantly it helps keep these materials out of landfill locally," she said.