What is trade waste?
Who produces trade waste?
When is an approval required?
Approval process
Tankered waste
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 (TWMP).

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 an approval required?

Applications should be lodged prior to commencement of trading or discharge. Examples of appropriate times for lodging applications include:

• During processing of a building application for new premises or extensions intended for industrial or commercial usage;
• Change in occupancy or ownership of such premises;
• After shop fit-out of such premises;
• When applying to strata title such premises;
• Where trade waste is generated without trade waste approval;
• Where a material change to the trade waste generating process occurs.

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 without the written consent of the service provider'. Penalties apply for noncompliance.

Approval process

• Determine your businesses category of discharge (refer to Sections 7 and 8 of the TWMP).
• Submit application form with relevant fees, copies of property plans, trade waste meter details (for Category B) and pre-treatment device information to Council's Development Services section or a Customer Contact Point. 
• On receipt of an application, Council will commence the process of assessment in accordance with theTWMP.
• Following consideration of the information provided, the assessing officer will determine appropriate risk mitigations (conditions) and, where appropriate, prepare the trade waste approval.
• Undertake construction of your facility and arrange for annual fee payments to be made
• Contact Council to organise a final inspection
• A trade waste approval, outlining the conditions and obligations of the trade waste permit / agreement holder, is issued upon a satisfactory final inspection.
• Council is authorised to approve or refuse applications for trade waste approval, including by considering the effect a proposed discharge may have on the sewerage system, employee health and safety, the value of downstream products and the receiving environment.
• Where a waste is assessed to be non-sewerable, an approval will not be issued and alternative arrangements for disposal of the wastewater must be made.

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
• The volume of trade waste discharged from a Category A property will be estimated as the water consumption at the property, multiplied by an industry relevant trade waste discharge factor (Appendix C of the TWMP). The discharge factor represents the proportion of water consumed at the property which is discharged as trade waste.
• All Category B trade waste generators shall install an approved and properly calibrated trade waste meter (usually an ultrasonic or magflow type).
• The property owner is responsible for payment of biannual discharge charges.
• Annual renewal charges are fixed trade waste approval charges invoiced to the trade waste generator.

Tankered waste

What is tankered waste?

Tankered waste is wastewater collected within Council’s service area. It is carried by tanker for discharge at a Council nominated discharge location, subject to the wastewater meeting the conditions for discharge described in Part 15 of the TWMP.

Tankered waste is divided into two management categories, namely:

• Deemed quality waste
• Special disposal waste

Tankered waste approval

The owner or owner's representative of a transporter seeking to discharge tankered waste at a Council discharge location must apply for and be granted a tankered waste approval prior to any discharge. (Refer to Section 15 of the TWMP for tankered waste application process and requirements)

Note: the applicant transporter must hold an environmental authority for regulated waste transport in Queensland (ERA57 – refer to Department of Environment and Science for details).

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.