Trade Wastewater
Wastewater from your business is any water contaminated as a result of your business activity. It may contain pollutants from suspended solids, grease and other chemicals. Business trade wastewater does not include the sewage from business toilet facilities.
Do you need a trade waste permit?
If your business produces wastewater from processes or activities carried out as part of your operations you may need a written agreement or permit to discharge the wastewater to the sewer. This agreement may specify a pre-treatment process, discharge standards and a monitoring program. You will be charged a fee based on the concentration and mass of pollutants that you are discharging.
Illegal discharges to the sewer might result in disconnection from the sewer system, fines or prosecution.
Sydney Water in the Sydney, Blue Mountains and Illawarra area, and Hunter Water Corporation in the Newcastle region, are the two major wastewater utilities in NSW. Outside these areas councils manage trade wastewater.
Is there any other way to dispose of wastewater from your business?
If you are not connected to the sewer, and/or your liquid waste cannot be directed to the sewer even after pre-treatment, then you will need to collect the liquid waste in drums or tanks and have the containers transported to a licensed waste facility. All tanks and drums containing liquid wastes should be stored in a roofed and bunded area.
Further information
- DECC Environment Line, Tel: 131 555
- Sydney Water, Tel: 132 092
- Hunter Water Corporation, Tel: 1300 657 657
- Your local council (if outside areas covered by Sydney Water or the Hunter
Water Corporation)
Page last updated: 27 February 2011
