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Empowering Our People

Trade Waste

Trade waste management in Queensland's regional water utilities is often seen as a "dark art," where the lack of a coordinated, state-wide framework leads to inconsistent practices across the state. On this page, we will share resources to streamline trade waste management in Queensland's regional water utilities.

What is Trade Waste?

The Water Supply (Safety & Reliability) Act 2008 (WS Act) defines trade waste as:

The water-borne waste from trade, industrial, commercial, medical, dental, veterinary, agricultural, horticultural, scientific research or experimental activities, excluding waste that is a prohibited substance; or human waste; or stormwater.

Trade waste has commonly been referred to as ‘liquid trade waste’, ‘industrial wastewater’, ‘industrial effluent’, ‘trade effluent’ or ‘trade wastewater’. The term ‘trade waste’ is used in this toolbox.

FOGs

Trade waste discharge to the sewerage system includes, but is not limited to, wastewater discharged from:

  • business/commercial premises (e.g. beautician, hairdresser, hotel, motel, restaurant, butcher, service station, supermarket, dentist, shopping centre)
  • community/public premises (e.g. craft club, school, college, university, hospital, nursing home)
  • any process connected with the preparation of food on premises other than private residences
  • industrial premises
  • trade activities (e.g. mechanics, spray painters)
  • mobile trade activities (e.g. mobile carpet cleaner, mobile bin wash)
  • medical, dental or veterinary premises
  • agricultural, horticultural, scientific research or experimental activities
  • car wash used in the operation of a commercial business such as car yard, or for a fee
  • Municipal or commercial swimming pools (filter backwash).

Trade waste also includes:

.
  • any matter discharged from any laundry, used for any institution, hotel, motel or similar establishment, or used for commercial purposes
  • leachate from any landfill
  • waste from any cooling, refrigeration or air-conditioning system installed on commercial premises
  • any ship’s ballast
  • polluted storm-water run-off from a commercial property
  • run-off from water used to extinguish a fire or to deal with any other hazard
  • wastewater from any commercial activities carried out at residential premises
  • wastewater transported by vehicle, including septic effluent and portaloo waste
  • Chemical toilet waste disposed at a sewage dump point.

Model Trade Waste Plan

In 2025, qldwater commissioned trade waste expert Col Hester to develop a Model Trade Waste Plan tailored to regional communities.

The premise was straightforward: the plan should focus on the essentials instead of burdening councils with overly complex or unnecessary trade waste management practices. The goal was to develop a clear, consistent framework that smaller councils can adopt without reinventing policies or spending resources on low-risk activities.

Download Model Trade Waste Plan

(qldwater members can request a Word version of the document to adapt for their Councils. Please email enquiry@qldwater.com.au.)

The model trade waste plan provides an overview of trade waste management including:

Trade waste categories

The application and approval process

Hierarchy of trade waste governance documents

Trade waste policy statement, scope and objectives

Trade waste plan that sets out how Council provides a trade waste service that meets its obligations and objectives under policy, legislation and relevant environmental authorities.

Category Zero Trade Waste

The core of Col's Model Trade Waste Plan is Category Zero: businesses that pose no greater risk than domestic sewage and do not need trade waste management attention. Col advocates for a high tolerance for discharge before trade waste management is required, including for typical small businesses such as hairdressers, florists, dentists and childcare centres. Even motels and schools could fall under Category Zero, provided they operate at a relatively small scale, such as schools with fewer than 100 students. Larger institutions may require additional controls, such as grease arrestors, but the idea is to ensure that trade waste regulations focus only on those businesses that truly warrant it.

Read more about Col's proposal here.

The following documents form part of the Model Trade Waste Plan to support Queensland water service providers in implementing best practice trade waste management. They have been prepared to promote consistency, clarity and regulatory confidence in trade waste approval processes across the sector.

The model application forms demonstrate contemporary best practice and align with the recently developed Model Trade Waste Plan. Each document has been reviewed by members of the regional Trade Waste Interest Groups (TWIGs) to ensure practical relevance and consistency with operational and regulatory expectations.

Two application pathways are provided: Commercial Premises, and Manufacturing/industrial premises, recognising the differing risk profiles and information requirements of these customer groups.

For each pathway, an example of a “properly made” application is also provided as guidance to assist councils and applicants to understand the level of detail and supporting information expected.

Download Trade Waste Application Form Commercial Only

Download Example Trade Waste Application Form Commercial Only

Download Trade Waste Application Form Industrial Only

Download Example Trade Waste Application Form Industrial Only

Coming soon: A Best Management Practices Guideline for Food Service Businesses, including practical guidance and infographics that councils can provide directly to food service customers to support compliance and environmental outcomes.

Sample Documents on Trade Waste

Over the years, qldwater members have shared a range of sample documents to help others along our shared journey. A special shout out to Townsville City Council for sharing a range of Trade Waste Fact Sheets including:

Water Testing

Find them under the Member Sample Documents tab of the Sewage Treatment page of the Resource Library.

CQ Trade Waste Interest Group

qldwater worked with Livingstone Shire Council to hold the Central Queensland Trade Waste Interest Group (TWIG) meeting as part of a regional conference held at the Yeppoon Town Hall in 2022.

The meeting was well attended with representatives from across the CQ region hearing a range of interesting presentations including:

  • A keynote address by Mark Sherson from Urban Utilities
  • Assessing Trade Waste Applications under the Queensland Plumbing & Wastewater Code 2019 by Michael Willey, Livingstone Shire Council
  • Update to Sewage Quality Management Guidelines by Andrew Kirkwood from WSAA
  • Assessing Non-conventional Trade Waste Discharges by Ariane Leyden from Rockhampton Regional Council
  • Ultra Spin Technology - Treating Water with Respect by Ari Mehrsa from Toowoomba Regional Council
  • The Future of Trade Waste by Jane Doran from Gladstone Regional Council

Recordings of all the presentations are available from this link.

Water Testing