Liquid Trade Waste

If you need to carry out a liquid trade waste activity, please download the application here(PDF, 136KB). Council’s Water and Sewer Integrity Team will complete all initial application assessments within 7 days, and issue an invoice for payment. Once payment is received, Council will provide an approval determination within 14 working days.

Please note: delays may occur due to incomplete or incorrect details in the application, or reduced availability of processing staff.

All Classification C high risk applications require concurrence from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Extended processing times outside of Council control may apply to these applications.

Council will refuse an application if the proposed discharge contravenes the NSW Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines or Council’s Liquid Trade Management Policy(PDF, 167KB) If applicants fail to respond to correspondence this may also result in refusal of an application.

Application fees are non-refundable if an application is refused.

It is a legal requirement to hold a valid approval to discharge liquid trade waste to Council infrastructure. Failure to obtain an approval and observe the conditions of an approval is an offence and may result in prosecution, fines, and increased sewer charges. Council officers audit premises suspected of discharging liquid trade waste without approval.

Councils Water & Sewer Integrity Officers conduct regular compliance inspections of all approved dischargers and may take samples to ensure wastewater discharge quality meets the specifications in the approval. Officers also inspect any trade waste pre-treatment devices to ensure they are being appropriately maintained and are being operated in accordance with the approval.

Failure to manage wastewater discharge quality and/or properly use pre-treatment devices may result in in prosecution, fines, and increased sewer charges.

Untreated discharge of liquid trade waste from businesses can:

• Lead to blockages of solidified grease in the sewerage network
• Accumulate blockages of solid waste that should not be discharged into the sewer
• Damage pumps and other mechanical sewer infrastructure
• Increase sewer maintenance expenses
• Generate dangerous gases like methane and hydrogen sulphide, posing safety risks to workers working on sewerage infrastructure
• Create hydrogen sulphide which can corrode sewer infrastructure
• Create unpleasant odour issues
• Disrupt wastewater treatment processes at treatment plants
• Affect the recycling of waste water and the reuse of biosolids downstream

The tenant and the property owner are jointly responsible for trade waste discharge, and must seek prior approval before commencing discharge. They must also follow the conditions of the approval throughout.

It is the responsibility of the tenant and the property owner to ensure that the appropriate pre-treatment system is installed prior to discharging liquid trade waste into the sewer system.

The NSW Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines outline specific pre-treatment requirements for liquid trade waste before it can be discharged into the sewer system.

Depending on the type and concentration of the waste, businesses may be required to install treatment systems such as grease traps, oil interceptors, cooling pits, dilution pits, sedimentation tanks, or other bespoke pre-treatment devices to remove contaminants like oils, fats, solids, and chemicals. Businesses are required to regularly maintain, monitor and report on the pre-treatment devices to ensure compliance with these standards.

Council recovers the cost of liquid trade waste treatment through fees and charges. View our fees and charges online.

Liquid trade waste can have variable pollutant strengths but is generally well above domestic effluent. This makes treating liquid trade waste more expensive than treating regular domestic effluent – due to this, it has higher rates for sewer discharge.

Liquid trade waste usage charges are calculated on the volume and type of waste discharged into the sewer system. This is done in accordance with the NSW Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines and Council’s Liquid Trade Waste Policy and Code of Practice(PDF, 167KB).

These documents create a framework for determining charges. These consider several factors including:

• Type of waste
• Concentration of waste
• Treatment requirements of the waste
• Impact on the sewerage system and treatment facilities
• Overall end cost of the treatment of discharged waste

The guidelines ensure that businesses are charged fairly for the disposal of trade waste based on the specific characteristics of the waste they produce. 

It is the responsibility of the property owner and tenant to notify Council that the discharge of liquid trade waste from the property stops.

This can be done in writing at tradewaste@qprc.nsw.gov.au

Council will not reimburse any trade waste fees and charges if you fail to notify council.

Once liquid trade waste discharge ceases from a property, all existing pre-treatment devices and drainage must be decommissioned by an appropriately licenced plumber before trade waste fees and charges can be removed from the property.