Pollution Control
Controlling the pollution generated by an organisation’s activities is an important responsibility encompassing potential legal exposure for the organisation’s leadership. Pollution control is strictly regulated by governments with heavy penalties for non-compliance. Trident Environment is able to advise you on:
- Environmental Protection Licences
- Trade Wastewater Discharge
- Pollution Control Advisory
Environmental Protection Licences
Environmental Protection Licences (EPLs) are issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. If your organisation undertakes any of the activities listed in Schedule 1 of this Act then you will require an EPL to operate your business.
Whether your organisation or site has an existing EPL or if you are in the early stages of planning your commercial endeavour and believe you may need to apply for one, Trident Environment can offer your business support over the full EPL life-cycle. We are able to assist with initial EPA negotiations, application lodgement, operation, variations, reporting of Annual Returns and surrendering your EPL. We are also able to assist you with other conditions from within the EPL such as obligations for water quality monitoring, pollution reduction programs and development and testing of Pollution Incident Response Management Plans (PIRMPs).
An Environmental Protection Licence is a legal document issued in NSW under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) by the NSW Environment Protection Authority to a Licensee. The licence grants the Licensee authorisation to undertake certain activities specified in this Act. The EPL is typically granted subject to a set of conditions that the NSW EPA stipulates.
Further information on Environment Protection Licences is available on the NSW EPA’s website at:
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/licensing-and-regulation/licensing/environment-protection-licences
An Environment Protection Licence is managed primarily on the basis of compliance with and fulfillment of its conditions. Some conditions may need to be fulfilled at different stages of the Scheduled Activity. Other conditions may need the input of specialist consultants, auditors or stakeholders. These are managed by the licensee and documented in yearly compliance documentation called an Annual Return submitted to the NSW EPA.
Further information on Environment Protection Licences is available on the NSW EPA’s website at:
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/licensing-and-regulation/licensing/environment-protection-licences
Discharge of Trade Wastewater
Agreements to Discharge Commercial or Industrial Trade Wastewater (commonly known as Trade Waste Agreements – TWAs) are issued by the Sydney Water Corporation. If your organisation pre-treats process wastewater and/ or discharges it to sewer then you will require an TWA to operate your business.
Trident Environment can assist your business over the full TWA life-cycle including during initial Sydney Water negotiations to determine your risk rating, application lodgement, operation, variations, sampling, reporting and surrendering your TWA. We are also able to assist you with other conditions from within the TWA such as obligations for composite discharge sampling, reporting and effluent improvement programs.
Sydney Water defines trade wastewater as:
- wastewater produced at industrial or commercial premises
- wastewater transported by vehicle, including septic effluent
- wastewater from ships and boats
- run-off from contaminated surface water and groundwater
Further information on Agreements to Discharge Commercial or Industrial Trade Wastewater is available on Sydney Water’s website.at:
As per Sydney Water guidance, you may be automatically deemed to be discharging commercial trade wastewater and may need to hold a trade waste agreement if your organisation operates in any of the below industries:
- Retail food such as Restaurants, take-away food outlets, function centres, hospital and nursing home kitchens, caterers, butchers, delicatessens and retail bakeries
- Automotive such as Service stations, panel beaters and spray painters, car detailers, car wash – hand wash and pressure spray, car wash <12 kL/day, mechanical workshops and auto recyclers
- Commercial laundries meaning all Laundromats, commercial laundries <2 ML/year, and hospital, nursing home and hotel laundries
- Photographic minilabs, medical facilities using x-rays, graphic arts and professional photographic laboratories
- Shopping centres with centralised pre-treatment
- Shopping centres with shared pre-treatment other than grease traps
- Municipal swimming pools/ aquatic centres, cooling tower and boiler blowdown
Further information on Agreements to Discharge Commercial or Industrial Trade Wastewater is available on Sydney Water’s website.at:
A Trade Waste Agreement is managed primarily on the basis of compliance with and fulfillment of its conditions. Typically, the conditions are created around your organisation’s particular pre-treatment processes and may include sampling, testing, reporting or Effluent Improvement Programs depending on your site’s risk rating. These are managed by the licensee and documented in regular compliance documentation. For more information, please visit Sydney Water at:
Pollution Control Advisory
Trident Environment offers general pollution control consultation to organisations where their emissions may have been previously unregulated, have changed/ increased, have begun to cause nuisance to the community or have come to the attention of environmental regulators or community groups.
These situations usually involve comprehensive consultation with relevant stakeholders and require the development of monitoring programs that enable the organisation to comply with legal, planning or environmental licensing requirements. We can also advise you on how to implement these systems in order to remain compliant.
We are Ready to Help You
For more information on how Trident may assist you with this service offering, please send us an online enquiry and we will respond within one business day.