A series of community engagement sessions will be held across the Port in the next week to inform the new waste strategy which will "help plan for how waste will be managed into the future" said the council's council's waste management coordinator, Chris Cannard.

"Community awareness about where our waste goes has grown in recent years, thanks in part to programs like the ABC's War on Waste," Mr Cannard said.

"The current way we manage waste has been in place since 1999 and it's now time to plan for the next 20 years.

"Our waste strategy covers how we deal with garbage, recycling, green waste, litter, kerbside collections and drop-off days. It also impacts how we'll educate our community on what they can do to reduce waste and make sure it goes in the right place," he said.

"We're now asking our community to let us know what they value about our current waste collection system and what they would like to see into the future.

"We're holding a number of face-to-face sessions and even a Facebook Live event to make sure everyone has an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback."

The Port Stephens community consultation sessions: