The Burdekin Shire Council provides a sewerage system primarily for the transportation and treatment of domestic sewage. The Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 prohibits the discharge of any waste other than domestic sewage unless the appropriate approval has been obtained from Council.
What is trade waste?
Trade waste is any liquid waste generated by industry, small business and commercial enterprise other than domestic sewage.
Who generates trade waste?
A common misconception is that trade waste is always toxic and is generated by industrial factories. In actual fact, trade waste incorporates wastewater generated by car washes, commercial kitchens, automotive repair workshops, air-conditioning units and a variety of processing operations.
The list of businesses with the potential to discharge trade waste is extensive. For more information on trade waste, including the potential generator’s of trade waste, please refer to the following:
- Trade Waste Fact Sheet - (pdf 373.82 kB)
Alternatively, Council’s Trade Waste Officer can be contacted through the Customer Service Centre to ascertain if your business has the potential to discharge trade waste.
Why does trade waste discharge need to be monitored?
The disposal of trade waste without Council approval can result in a significant disruption to Council services and added cost to the community as a whole. Illegal discharge of trade waste such as flammable liquids, greases, acids and solids often results in blockages of the sewerage system, damage of sewerage equipment and adverse impacts on the sewage treatment process.
Some examples of the problems caused by illegaly disposing of trade waste are listed below:
- Petroleum Waste (Flammable Liquids) – causes dangerous build up of gases within the sewer system
- Oil and Grease – causes blockages and offensive odours within the sewer system
- Acidic and strong chemical waste – causes corrosion of sewerage equipment including pumps, fittings and pipes
- High levels of detergent – causes foaming within sewer pipes and adversley effect the nutrient loadings during the treatment process
Who is responsible for trade waste?
Both the property owner of the premise where a business, with the potential to discharge trade waste, is situated and the business owner themselves are responsible for the discharge of trade waste to the sewer.
The business owner, in conjunction with the property owner, must ensure the appropriate trade waste pre-treatment device (dependent on the type of business) is installed on the premise. The appropriate measures associated with the discharging of trade waste (which the business generates) to the sewer must also be adhered to by the business owner.
An annual trade waste permit fee may apply and if so, an invoice will be issued to and be payable by the Property Owner each financial year.
Who to Contact
Please contact the Customer Service Centre using the Online Contact Form.
You can also contact the Customer Service Centre using one of the following methods.
|Customer Service Centre|
|Location||145 Young Street,|
Ayr Qld 4807
|Postal Address||PO Box 974|
Ayr Qld 4807
|Opening hours||8am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (except Public Holidays)|
|Phone||(07) 4783 9800 – Business hours|
(07) 4783 9800 – After hours (the same number)
|Fax||(07) 4783 9999|
|SMS||0437 886 008|
|Online||Use the Online Contact Form|
|Building Certification and Plumbing Officers|
|Early Opening||Please phone (07) 4783 9942 if you need access the Building and Plumbing Department between 7am – 8am, Monday to Friday.|
|For all media enquiries please email|
|Compliments and Complaints|
|The Burdekin Shire Council is committed to an open and friendly relationship with members of our community. Whether you’re telling us what we do well, or how we can improve, your feedback is important to us.If you would like to provide a compliment or complaint regarding actions or decisions made by Council, or by one of our councillors or officers, please visit the|
> Complaints, compliments and suggestions page.
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