Backing trade clean-up

SMALL businesses can often find dealing with regulation both time-consuming and costly.

Meeting compliance around water and sewage is no different, so TasWater has announced a program to help Tasmanian small businesses upgrade trade waste facilities in a more affordable way.

Trade waste covers a whole range of material and liquids that can be disposed of down the drain. Whether from restaurants, takeaway shops, hairdressers and garages, waste such as fats, oils and greases as well as chemicals can block drains or impact on the sewage treatment process.

Trade waste has a huge impact on the ability to meet environmental compliance, but TasWater remains committed to protecting the health of the community, its staff and the waterways into which treated effluent is discharged.

This requires many small business operators to upgrade facilities such as grease traps or screening equipment to prevent troublesome waste entering the sewage system. TasWater also recognises the need to assist small business in helping it achieve this goal of protecting the environment for all Tasmanians.

To help cover these costs, TasWater is offering no-interest loans to Tasmanian-owned small business customers to upgrade their systems. While this offer will lessen the financial impact, the compliance regulations and the time frame to reach compliance are unchanged.

To those who have already installed the new equipment, TasWater will offer a discount of 10 per cent on sewage charges for the next four years.

The TasWater Trade Waste Loans Scheme is due to be in place by July this year and the company will inform eligible businesses on how applications can be made.