24-07-2023
With Council’s Liquid Trade Waste Policy being amended, here is a short guide to some of the key elements behind Liquid Trade Waste Disposal.
The following information has been supplied by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
Sewerage systems are designed to transport and treat domestic sewage. Council may accept liquid trade waste into its sewerage system as a service to businesses and industry.
Sound trade waste regulation is essential for:
- protecting sewerage infrastructure, eg. sewer mains, pumping stations and sewage treatment facilities
- protecting our environment – some substances, such as metals or pesticides, may pass through the treatment facility unchanged and accumulate in the environment thereby contaminating our food chain. Other substances may adversely affect the biological processes and the quality of the treated effluent and biosolids
- protecting public and worker health and safety – the public and people working in and around the sewerage system can be harmed if toxic substances are discharged to the sewer.
What is liquid trade waste?
Liquid trade waste is any discharge to a sewerage system other than domestic waste from a hand wash basin, shower, bath or toilet.
Impacts of poor liquid trade waste regulation
- 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.
Responsibility of a trade waste discharger
A business wishing to discharge trade waste into a Council sewer must first obtain an approval to do so from Council. Either the owner of the premises or the tenant who carries out an activity on the premises may apply for approval. The tenant must have the written consent of the owner in order to apply for an approval.
A discharger is responsible for pre-treating their waste to a level acceptable for discharge to the sewer. To assist applicants, Council can provide information on the type of pre-treatment needed for various trade waste generating activities.
A discharger must consistently comply with all the conditions in Council’s approval.
Council’s responsibility
Council is responsible for providing and regulating water supply, sewerage and liquid trade waste services for its community.
Council must provide these services in accordance with the comprehensive NSW Framework for Regulation of Liquid Trade Waste.
Requirements include:
- achieving full cost recovery for water supply, sewerage and trade waste services
- assessment and approval of each trade waste application in accordance with the Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines, 2021 and Council’s Trade Waste Policy
- monitoring of liquid trade waste discharges to its sewerage system to ensure compliance with Council’s conditions of approval
- ensuring that any trade waste discharges do not adversely affect the environment, the health and safety of the public and Council’s employees
- ensuring that potential beneficial reuse of effluent and biosolids produced at the sewage treatment works is not compromised
- sewerage system licence requirements must be met.
For more information
Postal Address: PO Box 42 GUNNING NSW 2581
Email: council@upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 02 4830 1000
Council Website: www.upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au
or refer to
Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines 2021
https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/147088/trade-waste-management-guidelines.pdf