Taking care of business
TASMANIA prides itself on its clean, green image, but one area that needs attention is the safe and environmentally friendly disposal of trade waste.
Trade waste is waste water generated by small businesses or industrial-scale operations that is more highly concentrated than domestic waste.
TasWater contracts and compliance manager Cameron Parker said trade waste produced by organisations could be harmful to the environment and TasWater pipes and infrastructure.
“In restaurants, for example, the fats, oils and grease that are generated as part of regular activity can cause blockages and spills in our sewer system,” he said.
“That creates a safety aspect for the community and our staff.”
Mr Parker said the best way to manage trade waste was to remove as much as possible at the source.
“We have pre-treatment devices and they’re simple things like grease traps for restaurants that collect up the oil and grease and prevent it from going down the sewer and causing blockages,” he said.
TasWater tankers collect the waste and either take it to treatment plants with special processing capabilities, or to a recycler.
“In the case of an automotive business like a car wash or garage, we have oil/water separators that remove oils and hydrocarbon from the waste,” Mr Parker said.
He said this kind of waste, if put down the sewer, could be highly dangerous for workers and the community.
“High-strength trade waste can cause gases that are dangerous to work in, and waste with automotive oil, petroleum, hydrocarbon and those sorts of petrochemicals can cause an explosive environment,’’ Mr Parker said. “All you need is a spark and you’ve got a real problem.”
TasWater operates under nationally accepted legislation covering trade waste disposal and is working hard to bring Tasmanian businesses to a point where they all meet the required standards.
In 2016 TasWater began talking to its trade waste customers about what pre-treatment they needed. More than half already had what they required and TasWater is working with the remaining 45 per cent to upgrade their pre-treatment capabilities.
Trade waste has a huge impact on the ability to meet environmental compliance, and TasWater remains committed to protecting the health of the community, its staff and the waterways into which treated effluent is discharged.
TasWater also recognises the need to assist small business in protecting the environment for all Tasmanians. This is why it has recently introduced no-interest loans for trade waste customers.
Although correct disposal of trade waste keeps costs down for TasWater and the community, safety and the environment are the prime motivating factors.