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Liquid Trade Waste
New guidelines have been established by the NSW Government’s Department of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability (DEUS) regarding liquid trade waste.
Important Changes to Trade Waste Charges for Central Coast Businesses
New guidelines regarding the management of liquid trade waste have been set by the NSW Government’s Department of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability (DEUS). They have been established to further ensure that Councils comply with legislation and the Best-Practice Management of water supply and sewerage guidelines May 2004. These new guidelines are the Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines, 2005.
Gosford City Council and businesses in Gosford City have a number of responsibilities under these guidelines and under legislation such as the Local Government Act 1993 and the Water Management Act 2000 to greater protect the environment, health and safety of the Central Coast community.
What is Liquid Trade Waste?
Trade waste is a liquid waste produced by a business, commercial or industrial activity. It excludes domestic waste from a hand washbasin, shower, bath or toilet. It also excludes stormwater and unpolluted water.
Liquid Trade waste includes liquids from:
- Industrial premises
- Business/commercial premises (e.g. beautician, florist, hairdresser, hotel, motel, restaurant, butcher, service station, supermarket, dentist).
- Community/public premises (including school, college, university, hospital, nursing home, craft club).
- Trade activities (e.g. mobile carpet cleaner, graffiti removalists); and
- Any commercial activities carried out at a residential premise.
Liquid waste also includes waste from saleyards, racecourses and from stable and kennels not associated with domestic households.
Important Information for Central Coast Businesses
Sewerage systems are designed to transport and treat domestic sewage. Sound trade waste management is needed to:
Protect the environment
Some substances, such as metals or pesticides, may pass through the treatment facilities unchanged and accumulate in the
environment. This can have adverse affects on local animals, plants and waterways and greatly impact on fragile ecosystems.
Protect public and worker health and safety
People working in and round the sewerage system can be harmed if toxic substances are discharged into the sewer.
Protect community assets
Effective trade waste management helps protect sewer mains, pumping stations and sewage treatment facilities from damage by trade waste.
Protect the sewerage system
This improves performance and reduces the frequency of odour complaints and sewer chokes. Grease, oil and solid material if not removed on-site, can cause blockages in the sewerage system and result in overflows of untreated sewage into the environment or into a residential or commercial property. Strong waste can also cause odour problems and corrosion of the sewage pipes and systems.
Effective trade waste management also improves cost recovery i.e. it improves the commercial pricing of sewerage and liquid trade waste and removes cross-subsidies. This reduces annual sewerage bills as the improved sewerage system performance will ‘free up’ system capacity.
To effectively manage liquid trade waste in our environment, Council and businesses in Gosford City must work together to achieve and maintain an effective trade waste management system to protect and ensure the sustainability of our environment for the future.
Council is responsible for:
- The provision of water supply and sewerage services in Gosford City
- Providing and managing liquid trade waste services for the community
- An important part of those responsibilities is the approval and monitoring of liquid trade waste discharges to its sewerage system in accordance with the Liquid Trade Waste Management Guidelines, 2005 and Council’s Trade Waste Policy.
Your responsibility as a business in Gosford City
- A business discharging trade waste into a Council sewer must obtain an approval to do so from Council.
- Either the owner of the premises or the tenant who carries out an activity on the premises may apply for approval. The tenant must have the written consent in order to apply for an approval.
- A discharger is responsible for pre-treating their waste to a level acceptable for discharge to the sewer. To assist applicants, Council can provide information on the type of pre-treatment needed for various trade waste generating activities.
Get your application form now
All Council trade waste application forms are available for download from this site.
Legislation
Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993 requires that all trade waste dischargers to a Council sewerage system must have an approval from Council. This applies to both new and existing trade waste dischargers.
A discharger who fails to submit an application form and obtain Council’s approval or fails to comply with the conditions of approval may be prosecuted under section 120 (1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. In addition, Council may issue a penalty notice under section 222 of that Act.
To view a copy of the relevant legislation visit the Department of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability Website at http://www.deus.nsw.gov.au/.
Trade Waste Fees and Charges
- The transport, treatment and monitoring of liquid trade waste involves significant capital and operating coasts.
- Council will levy sewerage developer charges towards the capital cost of the required infrastructure. The remainder of the costs will be recovered through annual sewerage charges and trade waste fees and charges.
- Property owners are responsible for the payment of water supply, sewerage and liquid trade waste fees and charges.
- Council’s fees and charges are advertised annually in its Management Plan.
The fees and charges required from your business are weighted according to categories. Council has three broad categories of charges for liquid waste:
- Category 1 for discharges requiring nil or minimal pre-treatment
- Category 2 for discharges requiring prescribed treatment
- Category 3 for large discharges (over 20 kL/day) and industrial waste.
Under these categories as of July 1 2005 all dischargers need to pay:
- An initial application fee (once only)
- Annual trade waste fee to cover the cost of administration, monitoring and inspection by Council.
- Annual trade waste fee to cover the cost of administration, monitoring and inspection by Council.
- Charges for category 3 dischargers are based on the strength of their waste. Excess mass charges apply for pollutants discharged in excess of those in domestic sewerage.
- If a business does not comply with the conditions of approval, Council will need to re-inspect. Non-compliance charges and a re-inspection fee will apply.
Sewerage Charges
In addition to trade waste fees and charges, compliance with Best Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Guidelines, May 2004 requires that all business pay a sewer access charge relative to the peak load they place on the sewerage system and a sewer usage charge per kL for the volume of wastewater discharged to sewer.
To check whether these new laws apply to your business, view the Trade Waste Business Category Listing available from this site.
Further information and a copy of our Handout sent to businesses are available from the following links: