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This page gives a brief introduction and overview of the Industrial Waste Service for Commercial & Light Industrial customers. In fact, for many small businesses, it will satisfy most of your information needs.

Brochures

The following brochures contain information that is common to all small business and light industrial customers. You should open these, and print a copy for your reference.

Industrial Waste Permits

Fees & Charges for Small Business

Acceptance Criteria for Small Business

What is Industrial Waste?

Industrial Waste (sometimes called Trade Waste) is defined as any wastewater discharge from business or industry, other than the low volumes of ‘domestic-type’ wastewater generated from staff or office amenities such as toilets, tea-rooms, and showers.

We are a Waste Management Service Provider

The Water Corporation’s Industrial Waste Service is not part of your standard sewerage service.

Instead, it is an extra service we offer to you, to help you with your waste management and disposal issues.

You do not have to discharge your wastewater to sewer. You may have alternative waste treatment and disposal methods available to you, which satisfy the requirements of your Local Government or other environmental and health regulators.

However, most small businesses find – when compared to other waste disposal alternatives - that the convenience, effectiveness and price of the Water Corporation’s Industrial Waste service is hard to beat.

So sewer discharge of trade or industrial wastewater is pretty much standard practice for businesses such as restaurants, food outlets, automotive services, photographics, hospitality, care facilites, medical and veterinary services, and many more.

What Do I Have to Do?

If you do wish to discharge your trade or industrial waste to sewer, you MUST first apply to the Water Corporation for an Industrial Waste Permit.

This is a legal requirement, imposed on you by the Water Services Act, and designed to protect public health. After all, that’s the primary purpose of the sewer system – to safely dispose of human sewage waste and prevent the spread of disease.

Unauthorised discharge of Industrial Waste could cause a failure, blockage or overflow of the sewer system, and thus expose the public to hazards - not only from your own wastes, but also from the sewage wastes which are normally within the system.

That’s why the Water Services Act requires you to apply to us for a Permit. It also requires the Water Corporation, as your service provider, to individually assess your request, make sure we can safely handle your wastes, and to administer the Permit system.

Through this Permit system, and the Industrial Waste service, we can work together to ensure that our shared obligations to the community, public health, and the environment, can be fully satisfied.

What if My Waste Cannot be Safely Discharged into the Sewer?

Many common and seemingly innocuous wastes (such as fats and grease) can actually cause problems inside the sewer.

But fortunately, there are usually simple measures that can be taken, and common pre-treatment solutions (such as grease traps) that can be employed, to make your waste suitable for sewer discharge, and thus avoid the need for tankered wastewater disposal or other high cost alternatives.

It is usually only in exceptional circumstances, or processes involving particularly hazardous wastes, that sewer discharge cannot be made possible.

We will advise you of any pre-treatment or operational requirements that you will need when we assess your application for a Permit. These may also be noted as conditions on your Permit.

It will be your responsibility to ensure that any operational or pre-treatment requirements are met.

Our Industrial Waste service only covers the costs of treatment and disposal of the wastewater that you actually discharge to sewer. There may be other costs associated with your pre-treatment fixture.

For example, you will need to provide, install and maintain any pre-treatment fixtures that are required, and make your own arrangements for the safe disposal of any concentrated wastes or sludge that are trapped or extracted by your pre-treatment fixture. Your plumber, or equipment supplier, can help you with this.

Information for Grease Trap / Oil Arrestor owners

If you have a business involving food preparation, or you are in the automotive service industry, then you will most likely require a grease trap or oil arrestor. These are the most common forms of pre-treatment fixtures, and as such, we have prepared an information brochure which may be of interest to you.

Downloads

Maintenance of Grease Arrestors

How Do I Apply for the Industrial Waste Service?

Application forms, and information on the assessment process, is available on our Getting Connected page. Or you can call us or visit one of our offices.