Trade waste is all liquid waste, that is not human waste, generated on commercial premises and discharged to our sewerage system. This includes water contaminated with grease, oils, solids and chemicals. If not managed properly, trade waste can damage the sewerage system, sewer operators and the environment.
For example, excess grease and fats in the sewerage system can increase the load on the sewerage treatment system, cause blockages and increase hydrogen sulphide being produced.
The build up of hydrogen sulphide can result in bad odours and build up of acids that can attack the sewerage system infrastructure. The end result is odour complaints, increased maintenance costs and reduced life of the system.
See Council's Liquid trade waste policy(PDF, 68KB) and Liquid trade waste policy guidelines(PDF, 271KB)
Poorly treated trade waste can cause the following issues:
- Blockage of the sewerage system and overflows of untreated sewage to the environment. This is potentially dangerous to public health and is often caused by excess build up of grease, oil and solids
- Odour problems
- Corrosion of the sewerage infrastructure by strong wastes which is ultimately a cost borne by the community.
Any business wishing to discharge trade waste into a Council sewer must have a trade waste discharge approval issued by Council.
The owner of the premises or the tenant who carries out an activity may apply for approval. The tenant must have written consent from the owner before they make an application.
Apply for a trade waste approval(PDF, 283KB)
It is the discharger’s responsibility to:
- Pre-treat their waste to a level acceptable for discharge to the sewer
- Consistently comply with all the conditions in Council’s approval.
Contact us
Contact Council on 02 6685 9318 for trade waste application forms and general conditions of approval.
Fees apply and depend on the type, quantity and potential risks associated with the activities.
Liquid trade waste is categorised and charged according to:
- The type of liquid waste discharged (determined by the business activities)
- The quantity of liquid waste discharged
- The potential risk to the sewerage system, public health and the environment
- Pre-treatment requirements. You can contact Council for information on the type of pre-treatment needed for various trade waste generating activities.
Liquid trade waste charges include:
- Registration fee
- Category 1 – applies to dischargers requiring nil or minimal pre-treatment and may include prescribed pre-treatment and low impact to the sewerage system.
- Category 2 – applies to dischargers with prescribed pre-treatment
- Category 2S – applies to dischargers transporting or discharging septic tank or pan content waste to the sewerage system
- Category 3 – applies to large dischargers (>20kL/day) and industrial or manufacturing type waste.
To assist local water utilities (LWUs) with best-practice regulation of sewerage and trade waste in non-metropolitan NSW, the NSW Government has issued the Liquid Trade Waste Regulation Guidelines