Managing trade waste
Trade wastewater is any liquid waste generated from any non-residential property (commercial or industrial, business, trade or manufacturing process), whether the wastewater is discharged to sewer or transported by tanker to one of our wastewater treatment plants.
Discharging trade wastewater is an operational, environmental, and safety risk for us and the community. Only trade wastewater which complies with specific guidelines may be discharged into our sewerage system and you need written approval first.
Tankering liquid waste
If you’re a liquid waste carrier contractor, understand your responsibilities and how to manage your Tankered Waste Agreement with Hunter Water in our tankered waste section.
Connect your business to the network
To connect your business to the network and properly install and maintain treatment equipment, you must have written approval in the form of a deed.
Your agreement will be set up depending on the type of business you are and the wastewater you produce. Commercial businesses have different requirements to industrial businesses for example. Some businesses are exempt such as hairdressing salons and non-food small retailers.
Find your business in the lists further down this page or contact us to understand if you need to apply.
How it works
- Set up, or renew, a deed agreement
You need to apply for approval to discharge to the network which is formalised in a deed with Hunter Water. - Pre-treat wastewater
It’s your responsibility to pre-treat liquid waste in line with our facility requirements.
- Monitor wastewater
Ensure the waste you’re discharging is in line with the acceptable limits as per your deed agreement. Hunter Water conducts regular audits to inspect the site and sample the waste.
Business types
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Businesses that produce commercial trade wastewater
- Retail food: Restaurants, takeaway food outlets, function centres, hospital and nursing home kitchens, caterers, butchers, delicatessens, retail bakeries, and childcare centres
- Automative: Service stations, panel beaters and spray painters, car detailers, car wash – hand wash and pressure spray, car wash, mechanical workshops, and auto recyclers
- Commercial laundries: Laundromats, commercial laundries, hospitals, nursing homes and hotel laundries
- Photographic: Minilabs, medical facilities using X-rays, graphic arts, and professional photographic laboratories
- Shopping centres with centralised pre-treatment: Shopping centres with shared pre-treatment facilities
- Others: Craft breweries, municipal swimming pools and aquatic centres, cooling towers, and boiler blowdown
If your business process isn't listed, email our Compliance team
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Businesses that produce industrial trade wastewater
- Food processing and manufacture
- Beverage manufacture
- Textiles
- Truck washes
- Large commercial laundries
- Petroleum-based activities
- Pharmaceutical and cosmetic activities
- Chemicals, plastics and surfactants
- Metals and surface coatings
- Paper and board
- Cement, stone and abrasives
- Waste and wastewater treatment
- Sewer mining and decentralised wastewater treatment
Policy and standard
Hunter Water will provide a trade wastewater acceptance service to property and liquid wastewater carrier business owners in accordance with the Hunter Water connection standards, operating licence, and customer contract. The wastewater will be accepted at Hunter Water’s discretion. Hunter Water will monitor the discharge of trade wastewater into Hunter Water’s network through the inspection and sampling compliance program to ensure that regulatory compliance with Hunter Water's operating licence is achieved and Hunter Water’s infrastructure, the environment and the health and safety of Hunter Water employees, visitors and our community are protected. Read the Trade Waste and Tankered Liquid Wastewater Policy in full.
The Trade Wastewater and Liquid Waste Carriers Standard guides plumbers, consultants and property owners when selecting, designing and installing trade waste pre-treatment devices and connections to Hunter Water’s sewer network.