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Trade waste
Do I Need a Trade Waste Permit or Consent Agreement?
Trade waste is any liquid, and any substances contained in it, produced by an industrial or commercial activity at a business premises.
In some cases, wastewater from industrial and commercial operations contains high concentrations of substances, which could harm people's health, safety or the environment, corrode or block sewer pipes, create odours or put extra demands for the wastewater treatment at Sydney Water's plants. To keep these harmful or hard-to-treat substances out of the sewerage system, Sydney Water has a Trade Waste Policy (PDF - 2.46MB) with strategies for controlling the amount and quality of trade waste discharged.
If you own or manage property on which a business produces trade wastewater then you need Sydney Water's permission (usually a permit) to discharge it to the sewer. Customers also need to comply with Acceptance Standards which often require waste streams to undergo some preliminary treatment (pre-treatment) before discharge to Sydney Water's sewer.
Permits are available from Sydney Water's Commercial and Industrial Customer Services - you will need a permit before any pre-treatment equipment is installed or trade wastewater is discharged to the sewer.
For more information, or to consult a Trade Waste Customer Service Representative, please contact us.