Trade Waste
What is Trade Waste?
According to NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability's (DEUS) Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines, trade waste or non-domestic sewage refers to discharges to sewer of industrial or chemical liquid waste from any business, commercial or industrial activities, other than domestic sewage from a hand wash basin, toilet, shower or bath.
Trade waste discharges to sewer within the Wagga Wagga local government area are regulated by Wagga Wagga City Council. An approval with Wagga Wagga City Council and is required for all trade waste discharges to sewer.
Who Produces Trade Waste?
Trade waste producers may include:
- Industrial premises
- Business/commercial premises (eg. Beautician, florist, hairdresser, hotel, motel, restaurant, butcher, service station, supermarket, dentist)
- Community/public premises (eg. Craft club, school, college, university, hospital and nursing home)
- Trade activities (eg. Mobile carpet cleaner, graffiti removalists); and
- Any commercial activities carried out at a residential premise.
Trade waste also includes waste from saleyards, racecourses and from stables and kennels. However, trade waste excludes:
- Toilet, hand wash basin, shower and bath wastes derived from all the premises and activities mentioned above
- Wastewater from residential toilets, kitchens, bathrooms or laundries (i.e. domestic sewage)
- Common use (non-commercial) kitchen and laundry facilities in caravan parks
- Residential pool backwash, and
- Septic tank waste, waste from boat pump-out facilities and established sites for the discharge of pan content from mobile homes/caravans to the sewerage system.
Trade Waste Classification
According to Wagga Wagga Sewer Policy (October 2002), trade waste dischargers have been divided into 4 (four) categories.
- Category 1: Low Volume - Low Impact Wastes
Domestic type wastes i.e. waste stream equivalent in volume and strength to that expected from a domestic property, possibly with a small mass load of non-domestic substances and total industrial and trade waste discharge to sewer volume not exceeding 2kL per day.
Note: Premises such as photographic processors and others with non-domestic type waste are not included in this category.
Permit approval is required but charges are covered by normal sewer rates.
Note: In the event of significant change in quantity or quality (e.g. failure to maintain a grease trap), the waste source will be treated as a Category 3 waste and appropriate charges will apply. - Category 2: High Volume - Low Strength Wastes
Domestic type high volume wastes i.e. waste streams from domestic type processes but with volumes exceeding domestic levels (Volumes generally between 2kL and 30kL per day).
Permit approval is required, and volume charges will involve a negotiated basis of quantity assessment.
Charges will be based on assessed percentages of water consumption, or other agreed means of assessing discharge volumes.
Note: In the event of a significant change in waste strength, the waste source will be treated as Category 3. - Category 3: Industrial and Trade Wastes
- Existing premises such as cafes and sandwich shops with no pre-treatment facilities
A temporary permit and standard charges will apply to these premises until pre-treatment facilities are installed.
Note: Charges are to be paid in advance. No new businesses will be permitted to open without adequate pre-treatment facilities.
Categories of standard charges are:
i. Corner stores and sandwich shops with no cooked food, bakeries that do not cook pies and sausage rolls.
ii. Corner stores and sandwich shops with some hot foods and light meals, bakeries that produce meat pies and sausage rolls, butchers and delicatessens without cooked chickens.
iii. Businesses where fried foods are the main food items (eat in or take away) including delicatessens with cooked chickens.
iv. Smaller existing restaurants (generally <50 seats) and function centres.
Note: Cancellation of Category 3a business trade waste discharge to sewer accounts may be approved in certain cases. The Director of Asset Management has the delegated authority to not apply the Industrial and Trade Waste Discharge to Sewer Policy requirements in those cases where the activity is such that the waste stream load is clearly comparable to a domestic waste stream. - Commercial premises producing <5kL/day of trade wastewater with low concentrations of non-domestic type wastes, eg. Equipment hire, Panel beaters, Vehicle washes, Photographics
Charges will be based on assessed percentages of water consumption, or other agreed means of assessing discharge volumes. - Other wastes complying with the standards set out in this document
Approval is required and will only be given after Council has obtained specific concurrence from the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability. Depending on the quantity, approval may be conditional on provision of flow measuring equipment or a negotiated basis of quantity assessment.
Charges will be based on regular quantity and quality analysis. Regular waste stream analysis will be required to be undertaken by the person, or organisation, holding the Council approval. - Category 4: Special Wastes
Wastes not complying with Council standard but which can be treated within the sewerage system.
Approval is required from Council and will only be given after specific concurrence has been obtained from the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability and where appropriate process evaluation has been carried out.
Because of the nature of these wastes and the high proportion of the treatment works loads that they represent, approval will be conditional on:
i. The provision of flow measuring equipment
ii. Regular waste stream analysis by the licensee
iii. A maximum level of pollutant strength
iv. Other conditions that may be negotiated at the time of approval, and
v. Details of plant waste management practices being approved.
In special cases, consideration may be given if required for capital contributions and incentive pricing arrangements.
Note: Any pre-treatment facility requirements may be subject to normal development approval processes and will require plumbing, permits approval etc.
Trade Waste Fees and Charges
There are two types of fees applicable to trade waste discharges to sewer, including an annual administration fee, and a usage fee. The annual administration fee is a fixed amount based on the trade waste dischargers category, and serves to cover the administration of the trade waste regulations. The usage fee is based on rates for volume of discharge, and weight based pollutant.
Pre-treatment Product Requirement
Wagga Wagga City Council complies with Sydney Water's requirement for the trade waste water pre-treatment products. Refer to the Authorised Pretreatment Product Listing PDF at Sydney Water's website:
Authorised Pretreatment Product Listing (81KB)
