Commercial Trade Waste Customers

For these business activity types that have compliant trade waste equipment, TasWater will be removing the Trade Waste charge so we can focus our attention on more significant matters;

• Animal boarding
• Church/Place of worship
• Green grocers (retail shops only)
• Hairdressers/beauty salons
• Primary schools
• Medical centres (excluding dentists)
• Ice creamery
• Espresso shops & juice bars
• Sandwich shops
• Delicatessens

TasWater has created a new customer classification that applies to Juice bars and Espresso bars. Espresso bars are defined as businesses that serve coffees and food without food preparation done on site. The new Trade Waste category that is applied to this customer type is a Cat 0 which has no charge. This is because of its expected low impact to TasWater's sewer infrastructure. 

All water & sewage fixed charges, and water use variable charge, are billed to the property owner. 

TasWater has reviewed our customer base and found some sites were not charged as required under the new Price and Servicing Plan.  We have updated these charges in line with the new Trade Waste Customer Category Guidelines as required by our regulator.

The removal of Trade Waste charges have also led to a recalculation of sewer ET (Equivalent Tenements) charges, which is calculated depending on the number of hair basins.  To make things fairer, we’ve changed more than 1 element of charging. Sewerage charges were previously calculated at 0.79ET’s per basin, but from July 1st 2022 will be 0.25 ETs per basin – that’s a threefold reduction in sewer charges.

Previously for customers charged more than 1 ET, TasWater reduced the ET charge by 1 ET to accommodate the trade waste charge. 

For this PSP using the new sewer charge calculation, only salons with more than 4 hair basins will be charged more than 1 ET.  

The new Price and Services Plan (PSP4) defines a charge per bedpan macerator.  This will be implemented this PSP and the charge will be $56.62 per bedpan for the 2022/23 Financial Year.

Note that in-sink macerators are strictly prohibited.

The medical business activity code included Dentists, veterinary clinics, beauty salons and funeral parlours.  We are now only charging dentists and have created a new code.  We charge dentists due to the risk mercury poses to the cost of operating the sewer system.

If the trade waste generating business is ceasing or changing the business activity, the property owner is required to contact the trade waste team to advise of these changes, as a new application for consent to discharge trade waste may be required. The Property Owner is liable for any ongoing Trade Waste charges until TasWater is notified and a written confirmation is issued to the property owner that charges have changed or been ceased You must give not less than 30 days written notice to us of any of the following events:

• Any change to the business conducted which may materially affect the Trade Waste discharge; 
• Any intended change to the method of Pre-treatment; 
• Any proposed transfer, sale or closure of the business or any proposal to cease possession of any part of the premises; 

Download the Notification to Remove Trade Waste Charges (DOCX 72.8KB) form and send directly to tradewaste@taswater.com.au

TasWater routinely monitors and inspects its sewerage network and any problems created by unauthorised trade waste can be traced to individual properties. If a business is found to not be complying and/or has inadequate pre-treatment, we may send a letter to the property owner, implement non-compliance charges, implement fines, or even request that a property owner disconnect from TasWater's sewage infrastructure under the Water and Sewerage Industry Act 2008.

Subject to an application and inspection, TasWater will accept the discharge of liquid trade waste in to our sewerage network, if:

• Our infrastructure has capacity to collect, transport and treat your waste
• The trade waste does not prevent the recycling of our sewage treatment by-products
• You have explored and applied all practicable trade waste minimisation, recycling and reuse options.

TasWater provides all our trade waste customers with an agreed timeframe to install or upgrade a pre-treatment system. During this period we can work closely with you to ensure you have all the information necessary to either install or upgrade your pre-treatment system. However, in the event a customer is unable to install or upgrade a pre-treatment system within the agreed timeframe, TasWater may charge the customer an additional fee. Please contact the trade waste team should you have any questions.