What is trade waste?
Who produces trade waste?
When is a permit required?
Approval process
Licensed trade waste contractors

What is trade waste?

Trade Waste is any water-borne waste from businesses, trade or manufacturing premises. It should not include:

• Household hazardous waste such as paints, bleach and solvents (see manufacturer's disposal instructions)
• Prohibited substances
• Human waste
• Storm water
• Sludge (must be of spadable consistency)

A Council permit, outlining the conditions and obligations of the trade waste generator is required prior to any discharge of waste to sewers. All generators and property owners must comply with the requirements outlined in Council's Trade Waste Management Plan.

Who produces trade waste?

Commercial 

• Butcher 
• Coffee Shop, bakery, takeaway food outlet and restaurant
• Hairdressers 
• Mobile cleaning services 
• Supermarket 
• Fish processes 

Service 

• Hospital, medical
• Schools 
• Hotel/motel 
• Commercial laundry 
• Clubs 
• Automotive 
• Aged care facilities 
• Funeral parlour 

Industrial 

• Breweries 
• Panel Beaters 
• Tyre fitting 
• Metal finishers 
• Textiles 
• Food processor 
• Paper printing 
• Abattoirs 
• Chemical manufacture 

When is a permit required?

A Trade Waste Permit must be obtained prior to:

• Operation of a new business
• Change to the property owner of an existing business
• Change to the operating process
• Change to the disposal method.

A business generating trade waste without a permit is in breach of the Water Supply Safety and Reliability Act 2008 which states that 'a person must not discharge trade waste into a provider's infrastructure with the written consent of the service provider'. Penalties apply for noncompliance.

Approval process

• Determine your businesses category of discharge
• Submit application form with relevant fees, copies of property plans, trade waste meter details and pre-treatment device information to Council's Development Services section or a Customer Contact Point. 
• Council reviews your application and provides a written response and any design approval conditions
• Undertake construction of your facility and arrange for annual fee payments to be made
• Contact Council to organise a final inspection
• A trade waste permit, outlining the conditions and obligations of the trade waste permit / agreement holder, is issued upon a satisfactory final inspection.

About the process

• It could take up to six weeks, dependant on conditions that may have to be addressed during the process
• If there is more than one trade waste generator on a property, then the application must be made by each individual generator
• A plumbing and draining clearance certificate must be issued before a trade waste permit will be issued
• Both the generator and the property owner are responsible to ensure Council is updated if circumstances in the permit/agreement change.

Fees and charges

• Fees for trade waste water volume discharge are billed biannually
• Where a trade waste meter is not installed, the volume of trade waste will be estimated by multiplying the water consumption of the property by a discharge factor specific to the industry
• The property owner is responsible for payment

Licensed trade waste contractors

Gladstone Regional Council offers the ability to discharge trade waste for licensed contractors at the Gladstone Waste Water Treatment Plant and Agnes Water Waste Water Treatment Plant. The cost for licensed trade waste contractor's is charged per kL and an additional cost per kL applies for out of hours discharges.

Fees and Charges

In order to become an approved licensed trade waste contractor, complete a credit application form and return to info@gladstone.qld.gov.au along with your permit number from Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. Once this information has been received by Council the contractor is able to discharge trade waste to the waste water treatment plants.