What is trade waste?
Trade waste is liquid waste that's generated by a food or industrial business. If your business generates trade waste, you'll need to hold a trade waste consent or agreement.
Liquid trade waste goes down the drain and often contains oils, grease or chemicals that can have an impact on the sewer system and the environment.
There are certain types of trade waste that we accept into the sewer system, based on physical and chemical characteristic such as:
- temperature
- colour
- solids
- pH value
- nitrogen
- sulphur substances.
Read our trade waste acceptance criteria to find out more about the types of trade waste that we will accept.
Trade waste agreements and consents
A trade waste agreement or consent lists the type of trade waste we will accept from your business. It includes limits on the quality and characteristics of the waste.
We'll negotiate the terms of your trade waste agreement/consent as part of the trade waste application process.
Businesses that need a trade waste agreement
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If you're a food business that produces waste water, you'll need a trade waste consent. This includes:
- bakeries
- retail butchers and delicatessens
- restaurants, cafeterias and canteens
- schools
- cafes
- function centres
- supermarkets
- fast-food and takeaway shops
- caterers
- ice-cream shops
- commercial kitchens.
You will need a trade waste agreement with us if your industrial or manufacturing business discharges waste water to the sewer. This includes:
- meat processing plants
- food manufacturers
- metal finishers
- car washes
- hospitals and other institutions
- laundries and chemical plants
- waste treaters
- mechanical workshops
- construction sites that manage storm or groundwater. (When construction is completed, we will no longer accept groundwater discharge to the sewer network.)
Businesses who discharge low volumes of low-strength waste water are classified as ‘deemed' customers.
A deemed customer does not need to pay trade waste charges or hold a site-specific trade waste agreement or consent.
Deemed customers discharge similar quantities of wastewater as residential households and can include:
- occasional and childcare centres (without food preparation or laundry facilities)
- medical facilities without x-ray or plaster-setting services
- dental practices without x-ray or plaster-setting services (they must have an amalgam trap installed)
- veterinarians, animal clinics and retail pet shops without kennel wash-down areas, dog washes, x-rays or aquariums
- beauticians and hairdressers
- chemists and pharmacies without non-digital photo processing
- retail florists (must have straining or silt traps installed and maintained, and no herbicide to sewer is permitted)
- standalone retail green grocers (must have straining or silt traps installed and maintained).
If you think you are a deemed trade waste customer, email trade.waste@gww.com.au or call 13 44 99.
