Trade effluent consent
Formal permission to discharge kitchen wastewater — fats, oils and food solids — to the public sewer above normal domestic strength and volume.
Formal permission to discharge kitchen wastewater — fats, oils and food solids — to the public sewer above normal domestic strength and volume. In England you apply through your chosen water retailer; in Scotland you apply through your licensed provider to Scottish Water.
A commercial kitchen's wastewater carries far more fat, oil and solid loading than a household's. Discharging it without consent breaches sewerage law and can bring enforcement action, and the consent conditions are usually what sets the grease trap you need to install (see the grease management item).
England
Apply as early as possible — approval can take 6-12 weeks, and your grease management system needs to be sized to what the consent allows.
Often free to apply; ongoing trade effluent charges are usually based on volume and strength of discharge
In England you apply through your chosen water retailer, not directly to the wholesaler — see the water-retailer item first.
Scotland
Apply as early as possible — approval can take 6-12 weeks, and your grease management system needs to be sized to what the consent allows.
Often free to apply; ongoing trade effluent charges are usually based on volume and strength of discharge
Applications go through your licensed provider (retailer), who submits the Trade Effluent Notice to Scottish Water on your behalf.
Who this is for
Any venue with a full working kitchen producing wastewater to the sewer.
What you’ll hold
- Trade effluent consent letter
- Trade Effluent Notice (Form H) — Scotland
Watch out for
- Applying too late. Approval can take months, and you cannot legally discharge kitchen waste to the sewer without it once your kitchen is live.
- Not telling your retailer or Scottish Water about a grease trap or dosing system upfront — the consent conditions and any charges are usually set around what pre-treatment you have.
- Confusing this with your trade waste (bin) collection contract. Trade effluent is about what goes down the drain, not what goes in a bin.
Sources
- Open Water — business water and wastewater retail market checked 2026-09-02
- Scottish Water — Trade effluent consent checked 2026-09-02
See also
This is item 61 of 66 in the free UK Launch Checklist. See the whole list →