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Trade waste

What is it?

Trade waste is any liquid that is discharged from a trade premises to Hamilton City Council's wastewater system in the course of any trade or industrial process.

Discharging trade waste to the wastewater system places an additional load on the system. To protect the wastewater system and the environment, Council needs the help of businesses in Hamilton, to provide trade waste that can be safely accepted and treated.

Trade waste that is discharged directly into our wastewater system without pre-treatment, can cause blockages, overflows, introduce hazardous substances which can be a health risk to the public and could discharge into a nearby stormwater drain, which flows into the Waikato River.

Council's trade waste bylaw objectives include:

To protect the health and safety of all people working in the wastewater system by applying strict standards for harmful substances;
To protect receiving waters from toxic substances contained in trade waste discharges;
To protect the wastewater system and the Wastewater Treatment Plant from damage due to harmful substances from trade waste sources;
To assist Hamilton City Council to meet relevant environmental and other regulations;
To assist wastewater processing operations to produce effluent and biosolids of a guaranteed quality;
To encourage waste minimisation and cleaner production in the commercial and industrial sectors; and
To encourage and enable water conservation.

Think about what goes down the sink. The way your business treats waste affects everybody.

For more information contact Water and Waste Services or email us:

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Hamilton City Council Bylaw 2006

Hamilton City Council has a trade waste bylaw that places limits on solid content and chemical makeup of the industrial wastewater. Some chemicals and materials are prohibited. All industries and commercial businesses must comply with the bylaw if they wish to use Council's wastewater system and Wastewater Treatment Plant to discharge their trade waste to.

Any business that discharges wastewater into Council's wastewater system, may need to comply with Council's trade waste bylaw. If you're unsure whether the trade waste bylaw applies to you, contact the Environmental Resource Officer or Trade Waste Officer in the Water and Waste Services Unit at Hamilton City Council or email us:

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Where can I get a copy of the Trade Waste Bylaw 2006?

It can be purchased from Hamilton City Council, Water and Waste Services on level 6 of the Council Building in Garden Place. It is also available using the link below:

HCC Trade Waste Bylaw 2006

Getting a consent to discharge trade waste

You must obtain a trade waste consent from Council before you discharge trade waste to the wastewater system.

Any business that discharges liquid waste, other than those of the same character as domestic wastewater, into Council's wastewater system, may need to obtain a trade waste consent from Council. If you're unsure whether you need to get a trade waste consent, contact the Environmental Resource Officer or Trade Waste Officer in the Water and Waste Services Unit at Council on 07 838 6999, or email us:

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You don't have a trade waste consent but need one

Trade waste consents are issued on the basis that pre-treatment equipment is installed before discharge occurs. A registered plumber will need to complete any alterations or pipe work.

The wastewater pre-treatment equipment must be installed and meet with the relevant codes of practice and regulations.

Do not begin work until you have obtained your building consent and paid the appropriate building consent fees.

Before purchasing or installing pre-treatment equipment, it is recommended that you contact the Environmental Resource Officer or Trade Waste Officer in the Water and Waste Services Unit at Hamilton City Council on 07 838 6999, or email us:

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Following the installation, a drainage inspector and Water and Waste Services' Environmental Resource Officer or Trade Waste Officer will need to inspect the pre-treatment equipment.

The Water and Waste Services' Environmental Resource Officer or Trade Waste Officer will verify that the pre-treatment is correctly installed and works properly. Ideally, the installing plumber will be on site. This inspection is separate from, and different to, any inspection by the plumbing and drainage inspector, who ensures the plumbing and drainage, complies with the Building Act.

Council will then issue a trade waste consent to the occupier of the property. The consent will provide details of:

the amount of wastewater that can be discharged to the wastewater system;
the type and amount of substances in the wastewater;
the type of pre-treatment required;
servicing requirements; and
the annual cost of the consent compliance monitoring.

Which businesses does Council's Trade Waste Bylaw relate to?

The following table lists the types of businesses that Council's trade waste bylaw relates to (the 'Permitted' and 'Conditional' headings relate to the types of trade waste that these businesses produce):

Permitted
Beautician Building Construction - slab formation Cafes (no cooking) Carpet cleaning mobile units Ceramics and pottery (Hobby Club) Community hall (no hot food cooked) Day care centre (with no hot food cooked and served on site) Delicatessen (no meat cooked on site). No hot food prepared or served) Doctors surgery (excluding day care surgical facilities) Dog groomers Florist Fruit & vegetable market (retail) Funeral parlour	Hairdressing salon Ice cream parlour Kennels Nut shop Optical processes Painter (small commercial) Pet shop (retail) Pizzas cooking/re-heating (no preparation nor washing up on site, pizza heated in retail container and sold for consumption off-site) Sandwich bar/salad bar Coffee lounge (no cooking) School canteen (no cooking) School ceramic and pottery Swimming pool (non-municipal) Takeaway food (no hot food) Venetian blind cleaning
Conditional
Abattoir Approved stormwater discharged to sewer Bakeries Beverage manufacturers (including wineries) Cafes Churches (with catering facilities) Clothing manufactures Concrete batching plants Dairy processing plants Day care centre (with hot food cooked and served on site) Dentists Doctor's surgeries/medical centres (with day care surgical facilities) Drycleaners Electroplaters Fellmongers Food processors including canneries Foundries Fruit and vegetable processors including canneries Galvanisers Hospitals (including day care surgical facilities) Hotels and motels with catering facilities Landfills (leachate discharge) Laundries Manufacturers of chemicals, petroleum, coal, rubber and plastic products Manufacturers of clay, glass, plaster, masonry and mineral products Manufacturers of fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment Manufacturers of fertiliser	Manufacturers of paper and paper products Marae Mechanical workshops/service stations Medical laboratories Metal finishers Mortuaries Municipal swimming pool Optical factory Photo processors Premises with commercial macerators Printers Restaurants (excluding those with commercial macerators) Schools, polytechnics, universities (with laboratories) Scientific and other laboratories Spray painting facilities Stock sale yards Takeaway premises Tankered wastes Tanneries and leather finishing (including fellmongers) Textile fibre and textile processors Truck wash facilities Vaccine manufacturers Vehicle wash facilities Veterinary surgeries Waste management processes Wholesalers/retailers including butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers (excluding those with commercial macerators) Wool scourers