What is trade effluent?

Trade effluent is any liquid waste (effluent) that is discharged from premises being used for a business, trade or industry.

Trade effluent can come from both large and small premises, including businesses such as car washes and launderettes.

You will need to comply with legal restrictions regardless of how much trade effluent your business discharges. People working in the confined space of a sewer can be at risk from even very small amounts of some chemicals.

Trade effluent may consist of waste water contaminated with materials such as:

  • fats, oils and greases
  • chemicals
  • detergents
  • heavy metal rinses
  • solids
  • food wastes.

The only liquid wastes which are not classed as trade effluent are:

  • domestic sewage
  • clean, uncontaminated surface water, ie clean rainwater which has not been contaminated when running over your site.

In this guideline: