‘Trade effluent’ sounds complicated, but actually it’s pretty straightforward. Simply put, if there’s a process in your industry that uses water, the liquid waste you discharge into the sewer is trade effluent.

This includes liquid waste from (among other things):

• production processes
• washing and cooling facilities
• car or van washes
• laundries

It doesn't currently cover the following effluent:

• hotels
• caravan sites
• restaurants
• staff facilities like toilets, washrooms and canteens
• clean rainwater

Trade effluent consent

Here comes the legal bit.

‘Trade effluent consent’ is a legal document that tells you how much (and what sort of) liquid waste your business is allowed to discharge.

The reason it’s taken so seriously is that some trade effluent can damage the sewers and even pose a health risk – not only to the sewage workers but also to the general public. It can also inhibit or kill the micro-organisms used to treat the sewage, which could lead to poor quality waste or even raw sewage being discharged into rivers or the sea.

Think you’ll need consent?

If you think you might need trade effluent consent, get in touch with our dedicated trade effluent team. They’ll be happy to give you all the information you need and guide you through the process. Drop them an email at  tradeeffluent@business-stream.co.uk

If you think you might need trade effluent consent, you can download our form online and if you've already got a consent arranged, we'd encourage you to monitor your consumption. You can submit your reading online for a more accurate bill.