If your business produces waste water that you want to dispose of to the sewer, you need to apply for a trade waste discharge consent.
Before you apply
- Get in touch with us before you apply for a trade waste discharge consent or carry out any works that require consent
- We may need to visit your site and discuss the activity before you apply
- Our Trade Waste officers will decide whether a site needs consent based on the nature and scale of the activity undertaken
- Some smaller premises which have just obtained a Code of Compliance Certificate for a relevant building consent can obtain a discharge consent within one month of opening, rather than needing to gain consent before the business opens. Please contact us first.
How to apply
When you're ready to apply, you need to fill in one of the following application forms:
- For complex sites use the Trade Waste application - industrial non-food premises (PDF 268 kb)
- For non-complex sites such as retail food businesses use Trade Waste application - food retail premises (PDF 163 kb)
Send a completed application form to us with the application fee.
Our Trade Waste officers will decide whether a site needs consent based on the nature and scale of the activity undertaken.
Once the application is processed and fees are paid, we'll send you your discharge consent and any associated consent conditions.
Some smaller premises which have just obtained a Code of Compliance Certificate for a relevant building consent can obtain a discharge consent within one month of opening, rather than needing to gain consent before the business opens. They need to contact us first.
Trade Waste general information sheet (PDF 756 kb)
The time it takes to process your application depends on your situation and requirements. We generally process applications within a week, and most consents are issued within a week of payment.
Note: Applications that involve building work won't be processed until after the works are complete and we have inspected the finished premises.
Consent charges
Consent costs will vary between different categories. We sometimes charge an extra an application fee for complex new premises, reflecting the extra inspections we need to undertake.
User charges
You won't usually incur user charge fees if you are a minor discharger: the majority of premises only pay a consent fee and that fee varies with the risk their discharge and site management practices create. The greater the risk to Council's systems, then the higher the fee.
Why we charge trade waste fees
We charge premises trade waste fees to recover costs for higher strength and large volume trade waste discharge. These charges won't affect you if your premises have small trade waste discharges. Most food businesses and small wash pads don't need to pay any trade waste user charges.
If you do need to pay trade waste user charges, we'll bill you every two months. The more trade waste you discharge, the more you'll need to pay.
| Category | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. High risk | Dischargers that have a high risk to the sewers, operators, or the environment where regular inspections are required. |
| 2. Moderate risk | Dischargers that have a moderate risk to the sewers, operators, or the environment, require regular testing, and have high flow rates. |
| 3. Low risk | Dischargers that have a low risk to the sewers, operators, or the environment, require regular testing, and have medium flow rates. |
| 4. Minimal risk | This applies to:
|
| 5. Minimal risk with low flow | This applies mainly to food premises where there is proof of regular cleansing of the grease trap by an approved method, or by inspection, and where there is a low flow of waste water from the premises. It may include premises with grease converters where evidence of adequate maintenance and sink screening has been provided. Small wash pads and laundrettes may also be consented in this category. |
| Conditional consent | This applies when the flow rate of trade waste exceeds 2L/s (or 5m3 per day) or where a variation from standard conditions is required. An additional fee will be added for conditional consents. |
How to renew your trade waste discharge consent
Each year we'll send you an invoice and a pre-filled application form. All you need to do is:
- Take note of any changes on the form
- Sign the application form
- Return the application form to us with your payment.
We'll send you a new discharge consent once we receive your application and the fee.
More information
- Trade Wastes Bylaw (PDF 175KB)
- Trade Waste general information sheet (PDF 756 kb)