Liquid trade waste

What is liquid trade waste?

It is liquid waste to sewer that is not domestic sewage, stormwater or unpolluted water.

Liquid trade waste is defined in Section 3 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 as “all liquid waste other than sewage of a domestic nature.” Sewage of a domestic nature is as stated in the Local Government (General) Regulation, 2005 “human faecal matter and urine and waste water associated with ordinary kitchen, laundry and ablution activities of a household, but does not include waste in or from a sewage management facility.”

Why do I need approval to discharge liquid trade waste?

Sewage systems are designed to safely collect, transfer and treat wastewater, which is mostly of domestic origin. These systems may also accept liquid trade waste provided that the discharges are planned, known and controlled within acceptable limits.

Without suitable controls, liquid trade waste may adversely impact the sewage system, environment, and the health and safety of workers and the public.

To minimise any impact to the above, the NSW State Government require that businesses discharging liquid trade waste to sewer have an approval to do so from their local water utility i.e. Muswellbrook Shire Council. In order to gain approval adequate methods of pre-treatment must be installed, to ensure the liquid trade waste is suitable for discharge to the sewer.

Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993 requires that all trade waste dischargers to a Council sewage system must have an approval from Council. This applies to both new and existing trade waste dischargers. A discharger who fails to 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.

What is meant by pre-treatment?

Usually, some form of pre-treatment of your liquid trade waste will need to occur before it is discharged to sewer and depends of the type of activities carried out as part of your business. Pre-treatment equipment can be as simple as a sink screen for a hairdresser or florist, or more complex like an oil/water separator for a mechanical workshop or grease arrestor for a restaurant. Pre-treatment equipment will be inspected and monitored by Muswellbrook Shire Council as a condition of your approval.

As part of the NSW Government’s aim to improve the quality and efficiency of water and sewage services in non-metropolitan NSW, the Department of Water and Energy has introduced Best Practice Pricing Guidelines.

These guidelines are mandatory for Muswellbrook Shire Council and involve the introduction of appropriate fees and charges for liquid trade waste dischargers.  

Liquid trade waste discharged from businesses and other non-domestic sources (such as restaurants, cafes, mechanical workshops etc) generates a higher load to the sewage system than normal households. In order to prevent a significant cross-subsidy from the general public to commerce and industry, appropriate fees and charges need to be levied for liquid trade waste discharges. It should be noted that liquid trade waste fees and charges are in addition to non-residential sewer usage charges. 

The Local Government Act, 1993 specifies that the land owner is responsible for the payment of liquid trade waste fees and charges associated with their property. Any reimbursement of the land owner, by a person/company (occupier) conducting the activity at the premises, for liquid trade waste fees and charges is a matter between these two parties.

 

Sewerage customers may also hold Liquid Trade Waste approvals to discharge to sewer.  Most approvals require pre-treatment in approved equipment before discharging to sewer.  These assessments are liable to pay additional trade waste access and usage charges in accordance with the guidelines, as the trade waste discharges impose added reticulation, pumping and treatment requirements on Councils infrastructure.  The specific pricing calculation method is as follows:

TW = A + (C X UCTW X  TWDF)

Where:

TW = total annual trade  waste fees and charges ($)
A = annual trade waste  fee ($78.00 for 2010/110)
C = customers annual  water consumption (kl)
TWDF = trade waste  discharge factor (determined for each business type – if applicable)
UCTW = trade waste usage  charge ($0.90 / kl for 2010/11 ($0.60/ kl for 2009/10))

The minimum trade waste bill for 2010/11 will therefore be $78.00 ($76.00 in 2009/10), being for those assessments with approvals to discharge to sewer, which are not subject to a TWDF.  Council has set the usage charge for Liquid Trade Waste discharges at $0.90 per kilolitre for 2010/11.  Whilst this represents a significant increase over the charge for 2009/10, a phase in to the new charge is required by the State Government. Currently the advised final charge for Liquid Trade Waste is set by the State Government at $1.51 per kilolitre.

Customers will be invoiced tri-annually, with the charge being calculated based upon a proportion of the annual fee ($26.00), plus usage charges for the period.  For large scale Trade Waste Dischargers (type C), excess mass charges will also apply and are set annually in Council’s schedule of fees and charges.

In rare circumstances, Council may permit the discharge of liquid trade waste which has not been satisfactorily pre-treated, to Council’s sewer.

If this is the case, the property owner will be formally notified that they are permitted to discharge liquid trade waste not satisfactorily pre-treated, to Council’s sewer, and they will be required to pay full user based charges, based on the volume discharged and the full cost to Council to provide treatment for the unmodified liquid trade waste discharge. These charges are further detailed in Council’s schedule of fees and charges.

• The fees outlined below sets out to try and recover the full cost of the goods and services provided. See 'Fee Type E' in Council's fees and charges page for full explanation of how Council determines the amount of a fee for a service.

Liquid Trade Waste	GST	Cost
Annual Trade Waste Fee	Y	78.00
Annual Trade waste Usage Charge ($/Kl)	Y	0.90
Application for discharge license (classification A)	Y	280.00
Application for discharge license (classification B & C)	Y	664.00
Re-inspection Fee	Y	93.00
Charges for non-complying installations (not effective or not serviced) per kl	N	14.35

Excess Mass Charges for Category C Dischargers (large volumes) per kg	GST	Cost
Acid Demand, pH>10	N	0.60
Alkali Demand, ph<7	N	0.60
Aluminium	N	0.60
Ammonia (as N)	N	1.74
Arsenic	N	58.84
Barium	N	29.42
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)	N	0.59
Boron	N	0.59
Bromine	N	11.65
Cadmium	N	269.66
Chloride	N	No charge
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons	N	29.41
Chlorinated Phenolics	N	1,176.74
Chlorine	N	1.20
Chromium	N	19.61
Cobalt	N	11.99
Copper	N	11.99
Cyanide	N	58.84
Fluoride	N	2.95
Formaldehyde	N	1.20
Oil and Grease (Total O and G)	N	1.04
Herbicides/Defoliants	N	588.37
Iron	N	1.20
Lead	N	29.41
Lithium	N	5.88
Manganese	N	5.88
Mercaptans	N	58.84
Mercury	N	1,961.24
Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS)	N	0.60
Molybdenum	N	0.60
Nickel	N	19.61
Nitrogen (as TKN – Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen)	N	0.15
Organoarsenic Compounds	N	588.37
Pesticides General (excludes organochlorines and organophosphates)	N	588.37
Petroleum Hydrocarbons (non-flammable)	N	1.97
Phenolic Compounds (non-chlorinated)	N	5.88
Phosphorous (Total P)	N	1.20
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)	N	11.99
Selenium	N	41.40
Silver	N	1.09
Sulphate (SO4)	N	0.10
Sulphide	N	1.20
Sulphite	N	1.31
Suspended Solids (SS)	N	0.76
Thiosulphate	N	0.23
Tin	N	5.88
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)	N	0.05
Uranium	N	5.88
Zinc	N	11.99

How do I gain approval to discharge trade waste to sewer?

1. Obtain an application form from Muswellbrook Shire Council.

2. Fill out and return the application form, attaching any extra information required (eg. site plan, internal drainage diagram) and the prescribed fee. If necessary phone Council for assistance.

3. Muswellbrook Shire Council will assess your application. If required, a draft approval letter will be sent to the Department of Water and Energy (DWE) for concurrence.

4. A letter of approval to discharge liquid trade waste to sewer is sent to the applicant.

• Commercial liquid trade waste application form - classifictaion A (115kb)
• Commercial liquid trade waste application form - classifictaion B (145kb)
• Commercial liquid trade waste application form - classifictaion C (145kb)

 

To determine of your correct classification you may consult Councils Liquid Trade Waste policy or contact Council to discuss your application.

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