Traffic was banked up for 200 metres and some people waited for more than an hour to dump their waste.

The "e-waste" collection service was held on Saturday at Bunnings Belmont, attracting 631 vehicles.

The service was scheduled to run from 9am to noon, but strong demand and early arrivals forced it to operate from 7.40am to 2pm.

Redhead resident Colin Mondy said heavy traffic meant he was unable to enter the queue.

"I came away thinking what a great need there is for recycling this kind of waste," Mr Mondy said.

"We probably need more collection days in more places because there seems to be a backlog of waste."

Hunter Resource Recovery, a company established by Cessnock, Lake Macquarie and Maitland councils to recycle waste, ran the service.

Manager Roger Lewis said the response surpassed expectations.

"We collected 22,020 kilograms of e-waste, a massive amount," Mr Lewis said.

Of that, 52 per cent was televisions, 41 per cent computers and monitors and 7 per cent other items such as mobile phones, stereos, microwaves and power tools.

Mr Lewis said Australians had an "insatiable appetite" for the latest technology and "most of the waste still works".

"A lot of it has to do with technological change and the move away from analog to digital television," Mr Lewis said.

Mr Lewis said recycling e-waste had "huge benefits because it is extremely hazardous".

The waste contained heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead that could leach from tips into aquifers.