Trade Waste
What is Trade Waste?
Trade Waste is any non-domestic waste water, including geothermal waste water, discharged into Council's Waste Water System. Trade Waste does not include wastewater from domestic houses.
How does this affect the Waste Water System?
Harmful materials and flows from trade waste place people, infrastructure and operations at risk, and could effect the quality of effluent discharged on to Whakarewarewa Forest Park land where it is further treated before flowing into Lake Rotorua. What's in your waste information can be accessed from the Ministry for the Environment website.
Controlling trade waste discharges
To protect people's health, safety, infrastructure and forest and lake environment the council has made and administers the Water Services and Trade Waste Bylaws controlling what can and cannot be discharged and helping Businesses with their discharge requirements, and waste minimisation and cleaner production methods.
Rotorua Lakes Council partnered with CoLab in 2021 to deliver integrated, sustainable and well-managed tradewaste services. The improved compliance, monitoring and auditing protects our environment and protects our wastewater network and treatment plant. Trade waste customers receive consistent trade waste service across the partner council territories, while shared staff and resources ensures a streamlined and efficient business model - an effective user pays approach to trade waste.
Trade waste consenting fees and charges
Trade waste is assessed for a service fee based on volume, or strength, or nutrient content. This removes cross-subsidies from other users. These fees are at cost only as there is no profit made and sewerage charges are deducted from any fees struck.
Trade waste consenting charges
The Wastewater Treatment Charges do not include and are additional to the fixed wastewater charge that is a pan charge paid as a targeted rate.
The cost to treat all water discharged to sewer that is in excess of the fixed charge, incurs an additional charge per m3.
The total volume of water and geothermal water used and discharged to sewer is measured and charged per m3 and any fixed wastewater charge already paid is subtracted.
The additional wastewater treatment charges only apply to geothermal and non-residential properties discharging to sewer.
The additional wastewater treatment charges are invoiced quarterly with metered water rates.
How the volume discharged to sewer is measured and monitored?
Trade Waste flows are measured by the amount of metered drinking water supplied to the property. Where it is required, the discharges are monitored by direct measurement, which includes metering sampling and analysis.
Obtaining a consent to discharge
Fill out an application (PDF 296KB) to discharge trade waste or geothermal water to sewer.
Premises connected to the Waste Water System shall be assessed. Consents are classified as either Permitted', Conditional', or Prohibited'. A consent is not required for a permitted business but is required for a Conditional discharge.
