Lightning Ridge will receive $37,000 to help deal with the problem of derelict mines which create safety hazards and scar the landscape.

Mineral resources minister Kerry Hickey said the fund committee put Lighting Ridge "at the top of the list" for rehabilitation funding for its old mines.

The derelict mines committee is made up of a host of inter-governmental departments and they look at the issues of safety and the impact on neighbouring property and environment, as well as prioritising where the money is spent.

The money for mine restoration is part of an ongoing effort to bring abandoned mines fields to pre-mining conditions.

This includes the removal of rubbish and car bodies from around the mines and the planting of native grasses and plants.

Projects have already been completed at minefields in the region last financial year. These included back filling mines and removing rubbish.

There is also a proposed vegetation rehabilitation project for the area.

Mr Hickey called on the mining industry to back the efforts to create safe and environmentally friendly mine fields.

"Taxpayers of NSW have inherited a burden of cleaning up all these old mines...and I'd really like to see the industry really come on board with this for a better outcome," he said.

"In areas where they have existing mines...I'm not asking them to take liability but to just help clean up the sites. We have more than 550 sites across NSW and the rate we are cleaning them up, its going to take decades, so we need to work together to achieve a better outcome."

Mr Hickey said due to the current stringent environmental standards for mines today's mines would be an "environmental showpiece".

"The environmental standards set today are superior to the environmental standards of the past, and that's something we're trying to increase as much as possible by lifting the bar on environmental standards and ensuring industry today doesn't leave derelict mines for tomorrow's generation."