Businesses that discharge industrial trade wastewater must have written approval plus install and maintain the right equipment.
Business examples
These business activities are likely to produce industrial trade wastewater:
- manufacturing
- truck and bus washes
- large commercial laundries
- petroleum processing
- waste and wastewater treatment
- sewer mining and decentralised wastewater treatment
- contaminated surface and groundwater.
Examples of manufacturing businesses include:
- tanning and textiles
- pharmaceuticals and cosmetics
- chemicals, plastics and surfactants
- metals and surface coatings
- paper, board, photographic supplies, print material and books
- cement, stone and abrasives
- food processing (not restaurants or takeaway businesses)
- beverage production.
If your business type is not listed, it may produce commercial trade wastewater.
What you need to do
Your business must have our consent to discharge trade wastewater. Apply to discharge trade waste at Sydney Water Tap in®. Your plumber or hydraulic consultant may apply on your behalf. Our team will contact you and explain what you need to do next.
Who can apply
The owner, manager or occupier who is conducting business on-site is the applicant. You must not apply on behalf of someone else without their permission. The property owner must sign the application form to confirm the business activities conducted on the premises.
What to include in your application
We consider each application to discharge industrial trade wastewater carefully. You'll need to provide:
- a site plan
- a plan of proposed drainage (for new buildings)
- a description of the business processes
- details of pre-treatment equipment (existing and proposed)
- pump specifications
- information about any open areas
- information about chemicals used in your processes
- details about how chemicals are stored on site.
Fees and charges will apply
Check our industrial trade wastewater fees.
Your ongoing responsibilities
Your wastewater must meet our industrial acceptance standards.
Your consent lists:
- limits for each substance we ask you to monitor
- maximum discharge volumes and flow rates
- a monitoring and sampling schedule
- a need for any online monitoring systems.
To test your samples you must:
- use our list of analytical methods for trade waste
- use a laboratory registered with the NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities).
You must install and maintain an approved wastewater discharge meter. Find out more in our flow measurement equipment for trade waste dischargers guidelines.
Fees and charges apply to cover our costs to manage and treat your trade wastewater. These include management fees and waste quality charges.
We may inspect your site to check you’re meeting the conditions of your permit. If you don't comply, we may disconnect your services.