Before your business discharges trade waste into our sewers, the owner of the property where wastewater is generated must obtain a Trade Waste Approval.

Trade Waste Approvals are:

  • issued to owners of properties that discharge trade waste (not tenants)
  • issued for specified periods, usually not exceeding five years
  • not transferrable to another person or company.

A Trade Waste Approval states the conditions under which trade waste can be discharged into our sewers including:

  • the period of approval
  • trade waste categorisation and charges
  • approved flow rates and discharge times
  • pretreatment and monitoring requirements
  • metering and maintenance requirements; and site specific conditions.

Unless otherwise specified in a Trade Waste Approval, an approval holder must also comply with all provisions of our Trade Waste Environmental Management Plan, including the sewer acceptance criteria.

You must apply for a new Trade Waste Approval when:
  • you intend to discharge trade waste to our sewers and do not have an approval
  • the ownership of your property with a trade waste discharge has changed
  • you have undertaken regulated plumbing works on your property's trade waste drainage (see requirements for hydraulic plans)
  • the land title of your property with a trade waste discharge has changed to strata title.

Apply for a Trade Waste Approval

Complete an application for trade waste approval, providing information about your business and the proposed discharge 

If you require assistance completing your application, please call our Trade Waste team on 07 3432 2160 (8:30 am - 4:15 pm weekdays), email trade.waste@urbanutilities.com.au or contact us via our enquiry form.
Approximately three months before a Trade Waste Approval expires, a Trade Waste Officer will usually conduct an inspection of the premises (including any tenancies). 

If only minor changes need to be made to the Trade Waste Approval documentation, we will renew and mail it to the approval holder. Trade waste charges will continue to be applied.

If you are the owner of a property with an existing Trade Waste Approval, you must apply to amend your approval when:
  • your contact details have changed
  • you receive plumbing compliance approval for works that change trade waste drainage
  • you have changed a process that materially affects the trade waste volume or quality.

To amend a Trade Waste Approval:

Complete an application to amend a trade waste approval, providing information about your business and the proposed discharge 

If trade waste will no longer be discharged from your property, or you are no longer the owner of the property, you must cancel your Trade Waste Approval.  Failure to cancel an approval may result in continued trade waste charges. 

After cancelling a trade waste approval, any trade waste drainage (including grease arrestors or other pre-treatment equipment) must be cleaned and sealed in accordance with plumbing and drainage regulations. 

To cancel a Trade Waste Approval:

Complete an application to cancel a trade waste approval, providing information about your business and the proposed discharge.

Contact us

Call our Trade Waste team on 07 3432 2160 (8:30 am - 4:15 pm weekdays), email trade.waste@urbanutilities.com.au, or contact us via our