Liquid trade waste is any liquid waste discharged to the wastewater network deemed non-domestic in amount and nature (e.g. not produced in daily residential living).
 
Some examples of activities that generate liquid trade waste are:

You are required by law to have Icon Water's approval before discharging liquid trade waste to Canberra's wastewater network. This helps prevent the discharge of waste at unsafe levels that might impact the network's safety or environment. 
 

Our standard customer contract does not allow discharge of liquid trade waste to the wastewater network. You must negotiate a separate customer contract through the liquid trade waste application and approval process. 

 
Note: There are currently no fees to submit an application or receive final approval. 
 
To comply with our acceptance policy and guidelines you must: 

* To gain approval, please complete our online application form (and include relevant drainage plans). 

Complete our online application form (see application guide and minimum requirements) making sure all sections are answered, all required documentation is attached and the form is signed by the property owner (or authorised representative). 
 

Please note: you will require current drainage plans* for your property. To find out what must be shown on these plans, please see our application guide and minimum requirements. 

* You may be able to obtain a copy of your building drainage plan from 
Access Canberra by ordering it online, contacting them directly on 13 22 81 or visiting their Mitchell Shopfront. Otherwise, a plumber or hydraulic consultant may be able to assist. 

The property owner (or authorised delegate) will receive an email containing the approval document.
All other parties identified in the application will, at a minimum, receive an email notifying them of the application's status. They may also receive a copy of the approval document (depending on privacy requirements).

This approval document will be signed by one of our trade waste officers and contains the conditions under which your approval is issued. Operating outside of these conditions invalidates your approval.

You will receive an automated acknowledgement email that includes your application number.

The time necessary to assess your application will vary depending on the complexity of the site or business. The maximum turnaround time for a low, or medium, risk application is generally four weeks (or 20 business days).  

Note: When completing our online application form, it is important to provide correct email addresses for all parties.

In the ACT, the Utilities (Technical Regulation) Act 2014 stipulates that it is an offence to interfere with, or likely interfere with, the safe or efficient operation of the sewerage network, facility or the environment.
 

This means that all liquid trade waste must, by law, be approved by Icon Water before it can be discharged to Canberra's wastewater network. Every property owner and/or business must gain approval prior to discharging liquid trade waste.
 

Discharge entering Canberra's wastewater network in violation of our 
acceptance policy and guidelines could constitute a breach of the law and may lead to the prosecution of responsible parties (which includes both those discharging the waste AND those allowing it to be discharged). Significant fines, imprisonment or both may result.
 

Important: If you believe your business/property does not have a current approval to discharge, please contact our liquid trade waste team to discuss a plan to become compliant.

If you feel you need expert assistance with you application, please consider whether hiring a hydraulic consultant is right for you.

We have a legal requirement to protect public health, the safety of personnel, the environment, infrastructure and our operational processes by managing the discharge of liquid trade waste.
 

To accomplish this, our acceptance policy and guidelines define what can be safely discharged into the wastewater network.
 

This means our customers have a legal obligation to ensure they comply with our policies and guidelines.