A 220-tonne crane is being used to exhume a humpback whale carcass from a beach on the New South Wales mid-north coast, after its burial there sparked concerns with locals.

The crane and several skip bins were at Nobbys Beach at Port Macquarie, where the carcass was dug up, and cut into pieces this morning.

In a delicate operation, the bins were then winched 60 metres over an escarpment and trucked to landfill.

The whale died last week, after dragging a fishing trap and rope more than 1,700 kilometres from Tasmania.

Although it was freed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on September 17, it beached itself a few hours later.

The whale was buried at Nobbys Beach, but has been exhumed today. ( Supplied: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service )

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's Matt Rogers said council initially buried the beached whale and decided to remove it after local residents raised concerns it would attract sharks.

"There's no admission mistakes have been made, the council simply responded to a perception in the community and that's what we're dealing with," he said.

Mr Rogers said council was planning a thorough clean-up.

"It's not going to be a pleasant job," he said.

"We'll be removing the carcass but there'll be a lot of clay material from the hole that also has to come out so we are talking about a significant option and lots of material being transported by trucks to the landfill."

The State Government is providing $50,000 to help remove the whale.

Council staff had to cut the whale up and crane it off the beach in skip bins. ( Supplied: Port Macquarie Hastings Council. )

The owner of a surf school in Port Macquarie, Wayne Hudson, said the community was elated the local council were removing the whale carcass.

"The community got behind the idea of pulling out the whale carcass for a varied number of reasons and we went to council and respectfully asked [for] it to be removed," he said.

"Council listened and jumped on .... so everyone I've been speaking to in the community's just so stoked about it."

The operation is expected to be finished today or tomorrow.