At the interval written into the trade waste agreement for the premises. The water authority sets it from the kitchen's load, not the business: Sydney Water schedules pump-outs at 4, 8, 13 or 26 week intervals and the business cannot choose a longer one. At each service a licensed trade waste contractor pumps and cleans the trap, measures the grease and sludge depths (a grease mat over a quarter of the trap depth, or sludge over 30 per cent, means the interval is too long), inspects baffles, tees, seals and cover hardware, and issues a cleaning certificate. The certificates are kept and reported as the agreement requires; where the schedule lapses the authority can pump the trap at the owner's cost and issue infringement notices.
The intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Per the trade waste agreement | Pump-out and clean by a licensed trade waste contractor at the interval the water authority sets from the kitchen's load. Sydney Water schedules 4, 8, 13 or 26 weeks; other authorities set their own from the same factors. | Licensed trade waste contractor |
| At each service | Grease and sludge depths measured (a grease mat over a quarter of the trap depth, or sludge over 30 per cent, means a shorter interval); baffles, tees, seals and cover hardware inspected; cleaning certificate issued. | Licensed trade waste contractor |
| Weekly (recommended practice) | Kitchen staff check the trap lid is sealed and there is no odour or overflow; strainers in sinks and floor wastes cleaned so solids do not reach the trap. | Kitchen staff |
| On any change to the kitchen | A new fryer, dishwasher or a longer trading day changes the load; the authority reassesses the interval when the agreement is varied. | Owner, with the water authority |
Who does it and what to keep
A trade waste contractor licensed by the water authority, who pumps the trap into a tanker and disposes of the waste at an approved facility. The record is the cleaning certificate for every service, showing the date, the volume removed and the depths measured, kept and reported as the trade waste agreement requires. The authority audits against its own schedule and can ask for the certificates at any time.
The rule behind the interval
The trade waste agreement between the premises and the water authority, made under the authority's trade waste policy and the state water legislation, sets the interval and the record-keeping. AS/NZS 3500.2 governs the installation of the trap and the sanitary drainage it protects. The food safety rules add a separate duty to keep the kitchen free of the odour and overflow a neglected trap produces.
Common questions
Can the business extend the interval to save money?
No. The interval is set by the authority from the measured load and the trap's size, and a business that wants a longer one has to show the depths measured at service support it. Skipping a service is a breach of the agreement, not a saving.
What size trap does a kitchen need?
The authority sizes it from the fixtures connected and the trading pattern when the trade waste agreement is made, and a change of use or equipment can require a larger trap. An undersized trap simply fails sooner between services.
Put it in the register
An interval only holds when the asset is listed with its tasks, its contractor and where the record lives. Standara's library carries this asset with the tasks above attached, so adding it to a site's register produces the year's schedule, the monthly to-do list and the completion record the auditor or insurer asks for. The fuller picture, with the neighbouring assets and the rule behind each interval, is in the Water systems testing schedule.
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- A worked example: one club's register, planner and records for a year
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