Liquid trade waste disposal

Liquid trade waste is liquid waste produced by a commercial business or industrial activity (excluding sewage).

The correct disposal of liquid trade waste is important to maintain effectiveness of the sewerage treatment process, to maintain the sewer network and for the health of the local environment. Any business who wishes to discharge liquid waste into the sewer network must have permission to do so based on their liquid waste classification. Our Liquid Trade Waste Regulation Policy outlines the proper handling and disposal of liquid trade waste for businesses.

All businesses should submit a Liquid Trade Waste Application to us for assessment and, if approved, we will provide a formal conditions document.

Category A

Waste similar to those from domestic situations. Activities which may produce waste of this type include food outlets such as take away shops, mechanical repairers and small restaurants. Discharge of waste in this category can be placed in one of two broad groups:

  1. Discharges from commercial retail food preparation activities/processes - discharges of less than 16 kilolitres per day from premises that conduct the selling of prepared food products directly to the public, including caterers.
  2. Discharges from other commercial activities/processes – discharges not exceeding 5 kilolitres per day from premises that conduct businesses or provide services directly to the public such as: 
    • Animal wash activities
    • Boiler blowdown
    • Car detailing
    • Comfort cooling tower (non-industrial)
    • Craft activities
    • Dental surgery/dental technician/dental specialist
    • Doctor’s surgery, medical centre (plaster casts, no X-ray or laboratory)
    • Florist
    • Funeral parlours and morgues
    • Hairdressing/beautician
    • Jewellery shop
    • Laboratories (pathological and analytical only)
    • Laundry or laundromat (coin operated)
    • Lawnmower repairs
    • Mechanical repairs
    • Mobile cleaning units
    • Pet shop (retail)

Category B

Waste similar to those from domestic situations. They may be waste activities from food outlets such as take-away shops, mechanical repairers and small restaurants.

Classification B discharges are defined as:

  • Discharges that exceed the Classification A flow limit of 5 kilolitres per day or 16 kilolitres per day for commercial food preparation activities;
  • Discharge where the volume does not exceed 20 kilolitres per day;
  • More than four (4) concurrent Classification A liquid trade waste discharges from a single premises or a complex.

Examples of commercial activities which may produce waste in category B are:

  • Automatic dismantler
  • Bus/Coach depot
  • Construction equipment maintenance and cleaning
  • Comfort cooling towers over 500 L/h (non-industrial)
  • Education facilities,
  • Tertiary institution (TAFE, University, etc.)
  • Equipment hire, maintenance and cleaning
  • Glass cutting and grinding
  • Hospital
  • Laboratory
    • dental
    • photographic
    • tertiary institution
  • Medical centre (with X-Ray)
  • Optical services at medical or educational facilities and workshops
  • Oyster processing – shucking
  • Panel beating
  • Photographic
    • waterwash minilab
    • graphic arts
    • X-ray (non-digital)
  • Radiator repair
  • Screen printing
  • Shopping complex
  • Vehicle washing (high volume, eg. drive through car wash, self-service car wash).

Category C

Waste not associated with normal domestic sector disposal. They typically produce discharges of a high risk or large volume. Activities which may produce wastes of this type include factory, large mechanical and processing services. Classification C discharges are defined as:

  • Any Classification A or B discharge where the volume exceeds 20 kilolitres per day.
  • Any activity that is not nominated as Classification A, B or S.

Examples of commercial activities which may produce waste in category C are:

  • Abattoir
  • Acid pickling
  • Adhesive/latex manufacture
  • Agriculture and veterinary drugs manufacture
  • Aluminium processing
  • Anodising Filter cleaning
  • Bitumen and tar
  • Bottle washing
  • Brewery*
  • Cannery
  • Cardboard, carton and paper manufacture
  • Carpet manufacture
  • Caustic degreasing
  • Cereals manufacture
  • Chemicals manufacture
  • Chemicals repackaging
  • Condiments/sauces manufacture*
  • Confectionery manufacture*
  • Contaminated site treatment facility
  • Cooling towers (industrial process)
  • Cosmetics and perfumes manufacture
  • Cyanide hardening
  • Dairy products processing*
  • Feather washing
  • Fellmonger
  • Felt manufacture
  • Fertilisers manufacture
  • Fibreglass manufacture
  • Flour mill
  • Food processing*
  • Food waste processing unit (digester/composter) discharge
  • Foundry
  • Fruit and vegetable processing
  • Galvanising
  • Glass manufacture
  • Glue manufacture
  • Grease trap waste disposal
  • Honey processing
  • Ice cream manufacture
  • Industrial waste treatment
  • Ink manufacture
  • Joinery and furniture
  • Laboratory agricultural or animal health research
  • Laboratory nuclear medicine and radioisotope
  • Laboratory (workplace) including:
    • pharmaceutical
    • chemical manufacturing (pesticides etc.)
    • agriculture and animal research
  • Oil refinery
  • Paint manufacture
  • Paint stripping
  • Pet food processing
  • Pharmaceuticals manufacture
  • Plants nursery (open areas)
  • Plaster manufacture
  • Poultry abattoir and processing
  • Printing
  • Rubber production
  • Saleyards
  • Seafood processing
  • Slipway
  • Smallgoods manufacture
  • Soft drink manufacture
  • Starch manufacture
  • Sugar refinery
  • Tanker washing
  • Tannery
  • Textile manufacture
  • Timber processing
  • Tip leachate
  • Transport depot/terminal
  • Truck washing:
    • internal
    • truck transporting hazardous material (internal and external washing)
  • Detergent/soaps mixing and/ or manufacture
  • Drum washing
  • Edible oils and fats manufacture
  • Egg processing
  • Electroplating
  • Leather finishing
  • Liquid wastewater treatment facility
  • Metal finishing and processing
  • Mirror manufacture
  • Oil recycling
  • Water treatment backwash
  • Waxes/polishes
  • Wastewater arising from council asset maintenance:
    • CIPP relining
    • ice pigging
    • tree roots control
  • Wine and spirit bottling
  • Winery/distillery
  • Wool processing

 *Small scale operations may be considered under Concurrence Classification B, refer to Policy for further information.

Category S

Classification S includes pan content, septic tank pump-outs, chemical toilet waste and ship to shore pump-out units accepted for discharge into the sewerage system. Specific procedures need to be applied to their regulation as the waste is often transported or pumped from it’s original source.