Trade waste

Depending on your business type, you may need approval from Council before you discharge waste water to the sewerage system. Council’s trade waste team can advise you if you need to apply or not. If you are not sure, it is best to apply, even if we determine you do not need approval.

1. What is the approval process?

Once the signed application form has been submitted with the relevant hydraulic plans and/or service dockets to Council, the Trade Waste Officer will assess the application. A site inspection may be required prior to approval being issued.

A written approval will be issued to the applicant where Council’s assessment has established compliance for acceptance of trade waste discharge. Information obtained from the generator or from Council records, inspections and monitoring will be used to determine the criteria and conditions for the trade waste approval.

The approval will state the discharge criteria, pre-treatment options and schedule for maintenance and removal of regulated wastes.

Where a waste is deemed unsuitable for disposal to sewer, a trade waste approval will not be issued and alternative arrangements for disposal will have to be made by the applicant. General information on treatment and disposal options for non-sewerable waste may be obtained from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI).

Should the applicant disagree with any of the stipulated terms or conditions of the approval, Council should be notified in writing within 20 days of the date of the approval, for further consultation.

2. Can an existing approval be reviewed or amended?

Yes. An existing approval can be reviewed or amended at any time at the request of either Council or the applicant. Such a review may relate to:

• determination of discharge quantity or quality
• a change in operational details
• a change in property details, including development, building or plumbing applications
• an increase, decrease or other change in a trade waste generating activity
• non-compliance or non-payment of fees
• a complaint received from a third party
• where it has been identified that Council’s sewer infrastructure may have, or could be, adversely affected by the discharge of trade waste from a property

3. I have sold my businesss, or moved premises, Are trade waste approvals transferrable?

No. Trade waste approvals are not transferrable. An approval is given to the person producing the trade waste or property owner and is both property and activity specific. When a business that produces trade waste changes ownership, the existing approval is terminated and the new tenant/owner must apply for a new approval. If the business has moved premises, a new application is required.

The property owner must notify Council in writing within 14 days of any change to the tenancy.

4. Can an approval be suspended or cancelled?

Yes. Grounds and procedures for suspending or cancelling a trade waste approval are specified in Section 182 (Suspending or cancelling trade waste approval) of the Water Supply (Safety & Reliability) Act 2008.

Terms and conditions of a trade waste approval in respect of any matter occurring before the suspension or cancellation of the approval, including the payment of all fees owing, shall continue to have force and effect after the termination of the trade waste approval.

Council requires all potential dischargers of trade waste to apply for approval.

It is illegal to discharge trade waste to Council’s sewerage system without prior approval. If you aren’t sure whether or not you are generating trade waste, please contact us. It is better to apply for approval, even if we determine it is not required.

When is a trade waste approval required?

A trade waste approval is required under the following circumstances:

• where trade waste is being or may be, generated at a premises and no trade waste approval has been issued
• during the processing of a development or plumbing application for new or extended industrial/commercial premises with trade waste drainage
• on change of tenancy or business ownership where the property has trade waste discharge where a change in process occurs that materially affects the trade waste volume or quality

Is there an application fee payable?

No application fee applies.

Who can complete the application?

The application for trade waste should be made by a representative of the business discharging liquid trade waste. The Application for Trade Waste Assessment form may also be made by the property owner or agent on the tenant’s behalf.

The generator must ensure that the property owner (or authorised representative) is aware of their application and acknowledges and agrees to the business use of the premises and subsequent responsibilities, fees and associated charges.

In the case where multiple generators operate from one property, a separate application for approval must be submitted for each generator.

Does Council have a list of business types which require approval?

Trade waste approval is issued on a case by case basis. However, generally if you have a certain type of business, it is likely that you will require approval.

Examples (not limited to) are:

• Businesses or organisations which serve or prepare food, eg. café, takeaway, restaurant, tuckshop, hotel, child care, bakery, butchery, supermarket, tuckshop, coffee shop, hospital, community facility etc.
• Businesses or organisations which use oils or chemicals, eg. mechanical workshop, panel beating, metal finishing, manufacturing, printing, laboratory etc.
• Businesses or organisations which discharge wash water, eg. laundry, car wash, truck wash, tyre fitting, glass cutting, cleaning, hospitality, accommodation etc.

Please select the link below to access our online interactive application form. Should you require a hardcopy please ring Council or visit one of our service centers.

Trade Waste online application

Why does Council charge for trade waste?

Council provides a wastewater system primarily for the transport and treatment of domestic sewage. Trade waste discharged by businesses may contain significantly increased pollutants which can harm people, the environment and the wastewater system. Council controls the discharge of trade waste to minimise these risks. Activities include:

• treatment of trade waste discharge
• transportation of trade waste discharge
• maintenance of the sewerage network
• undertaking detailed assessment of all trade waste generators
• ensuring suitable pre-treatment devices are installed and regularly serviced
• conducting site inspections and audits to ensure compliance is maintained
• providing advice, education and awareness to trade waste generators

Who is responsible for paying trade waste charges?

The property owner has sole responsibility for the payment of all trade waste related charges. The property owner may recover charges from their tenants under normal commercial arrangements. This arrangement is not determined by, or negotiated with Council. All charges will be due by the nominated date and billed bi-annually on the property owner’s rates notice.

If the property owner is experiencing financial difficulty, payment options may be available in accordance with Council’s Hardship Policy.

Do charges apply for vacant tenancies?

If the tenancy is still connected to a Pre-treatment device, Yes. Charges apply, irrespective of whether or not the premises are occupied or vacant. Depending on how long the premises is vacant, charges may be reduced in some circumstances.

But I no longer have a tenant discharging trade waste. Can the charges be removed?

The charge may be removed if confirmation is provided showing that there is no longer a connection to the pre-treatment device. This may include the removal of a plumbing fit-out within the tenancy or a connected pre-treatment device bypassed, or made inoperable.

The property owner must apply to Council’s plumbing compliance team prior to undertaking such works. Property owners should discuss the planned actions with Council's Plumbing Source & Control Officer prior to implementation in order to confirm the measures will meet Council’s requirements.

Please note:

• Charges will continue to apply until the disconnection has been approved by Council and the work completed.
• Future re-connection of the premises will require the property owner to submit a new plumbing application, as well as payment of applicable fees.

What are trade waste charges?

Trade waste fees and charges are levied under Sections 94 and 97 of the Local Government Act 2009. Council will determine fees and charges for trade waste as part of the annual Council review of regulated fees and charges.

An annual charge (base charge), which is determined by the category that has been applied to the generator or property, is applied for each trade waste connection on the property and will be applied to the property owner’s rates notice and billed bi-annually.

For generators in categories 4 and 5, a tier charge (A, B, or C) may be applied in addition to the base charge. This is calculated on potential or estimated load on the sewerage network. A multiple tier charge may be applied to more accurately reflect the load.

General fees and charges for the current financial year can be found here. Specific fees for each category can be found in Council's Corporate Budget here(PDF, 5MB).

Do you pro rata trade waste charges?

Yes. For new connections, charges will be applicable on a pro rata basis for the first billing period. Thereafter, they will be invoiced within the normal billing cycles for the relevant charge components.

Does Council issue refunds for trade waste?

No. Refunds will not be given in respect of any charges when a generator ceases to discharge part way through the billing period. A reassessment can be made at the request of the property owner and the charge may be reduced accordingly for future billing periods, until such time as the tenancy is occupied.

Are there any other trade waste charges which might apply?

There are other charges which may apply in certain circumstances, however, in most cases only the base charges/tier charge will apply. These are:

Equivalent arrestor charge

Where a pre-treatment device is required by Council to be installed, but cannot be installed due to site specific constraints, charges will apply to cover Council’s additional treatment costs.

Where a pre-treatment device is required by Council to be installed, and the property owner and/or trade waste generator do not install the required pre-treatment device within the specified time frame, charges will apply to cover Council’s additional treatment costs.

The equivalent arrestor charge will be set annually and be based on the average cost paid by other trade waste generators of similar waste type and quantity, to have arrestors regularly cleaned. This will be charged in addition to other applicable trade waste charges.

Non compliance charge

Council may recover the cost of repairing damage to the sewerage system from a person discharging non-compliant trade waste or a prohibited substance to the sewerage system.

Additional inspection and sample analysis fees may be charged where further inspection or analysis is required due to non-compliance with approval conditions or if sewer admission limits have been exceeded.

Exceedance charge

This charge may be applied where a generator discharges to sewer in excess of the sewer admission limits, regardless of whether Council has agreed to accept the over-limit discharge as part of the approval or not.

Inspection and analysis fee

Trade waste charges in all discharge categories allow for routine inspections and quality compliance analyses. Where additional inspections and laboratory analyses are required because of non-compliance with trade waste approval conditions, full costs will be recovered from the owner of the property. Inspection fees will be based on travel time to and from the site plus the time spent on site.

I am already paying to have my grease trap or other pre-treatment device cleaned out and serviced. Why do I also have to pay trade waste charges?

Council can only accept waste water into the sewerage system which meets strict Sewer Admission Limits. The installation of a pre-treatment device is required to ensure that the trade waste water being discharged to sewer does not exceed these limits. Even when the waste water has passed through the pre-treatment device, Council is still required to transport the discharge to the sewerage treatment plant where it will be treated.

It is the responsibility of the property owner and trade waste generator to ensure that the pre-treatment device is regularly serviced and maintained to ensure that it is working effectively.

A pre-treatment device is used to reduce the trade waste contaminant load before being discharged into the sewerage system. Council has strict sewer admission limits that must be met before waste water is accepted. Pre-treating trade waste helps to safeguard the sewerage system against damage, blockages or surcharges and reduces the operational cost of the system. Pre-treatment also safeguards the environment and public health.

It may be necessary to install pre-treatment equipment on a property before trade waste is accepted into Council’s sewerage system. Council has the sole discretion to determine whether pre-treatment is required at the premises, based on the nature of the waste, site location and potential effluent quantity and quality. All pre-treatment devices or equipment must be of a design and capacity approved by Council.

What are pre-treatment devices?

Pre-treatment devices facilitate the removal of pollutants harmful to people, the environment and the sewerage system. The waste water from most commercial and service industries require some form of pre-treatment before entering the sewerage system. The type of pre-treatment required is dependent on the types of waste to be produced.

Examples are:

• Grease arrestors
• Silt arrestors
• Oily water separators
• Coalescing plate separators
• Vertical gravity separators
• Holding tanks
• Dilution tanks
• Acid neutralisers
• Amalgam separators
• Plaster trap
• Triple interceptor trap
• Cooling pit – for temperatures greater than 38°
• In-sink and floor waste basket traps

What type of pre-treatment device do I need?

Depending on your business or industry type, one or more pre-treatment devices may be required.

Guidelines on the types of devices required can be found within our Trade Waste Environmental Management Plan from pages 41 to 46.

Specific requirements will be determined by Council’s Plumbing Source & Control Officer. To discuss what is needed for your particular business, please contact us on 1300 883 699.

Why do I need to install pre-treatment devices?

Council’s sewerage system has been designed primarily to transport and treat domestic waste water. The treatment processes at Council’s waste water treatment plants are complex and finely balanced and can easily be disrupted by non-conforming or poorly treated trade waste. Insufficient pre-treatment can lead to blockages in the sewer main and may also cause costly damage to infrastructure.

Who is responsible for servicing and maintaining the pre-treatment device?

The property owner and/or generator is responsible for maintaining their pre-treatment device/s. Charges for servicing, cleaning and pumping out of pre-treatment apparatus are issued by private contractors and are the responsibility of the property owner or trade waste generator, and do not relate to the property’s trade waste fees and charges.

How often do pre-treatment devices need to be serviced?

Regular servicing and maintenance is required to ensure the equipment always remains in an efficient and effective operating condition. The frequency is determined by:

• the type and size of the pre-treatment device
• the volume of the trade waste discharged to the device; and
• the amount of pollutants contained in the trade waste discharged to the device

Council will determine the service frequencies for each device and outline these requirements in the Trade Waste Approval issued to both the generator and property owner. Based on the outcomes of inspections and/or quality compliance analyses, Council may determine to amend the service frequencies. Where a change occurs, Council will re-issue an amended trade waste approval.

Do I need to keep my cleaning and maintenance dockets?

Yes. The property owner and/or generator is required to keep records of dates of cleaning and maintenance carried out on the pre-treatment device, and provide copies to Council upon request.

Liquid waste transporters must maintain records to account for all waste collected and disposed of within or outside Council’s jurisdiction. These records must be submitted to Council and may be used to audit the pre-treatment servicing arrangements of trade waste customers.