Simpler temporary trade effluent forms to address rise of risk of illegal discharge

Ofwat has approved a Wholesale Retail Code change proposal to smooth the process for businesses and retailers to apply for temporary trade effluent consents from wholesalers.

CPW036, which will be implemented on 28 September, addresses a number of difficulties that have existed since market opening. Some of these derive from the fact that wholesalers have inconsistent approaches to how they deal with applications for consents for six months or less; others from the complexity of the forms, the inclusion in them of redundant information, and administrative burdens.

One of the key concerns is that, according to the Trade Effluent Issues Committee (TEIC), there has been an average reduction of 60% for temporary trade effluent applications across five wholesalers since market opening.

The panel has highlighted that the large reduction in applications could indicate that a number of non-household customers are illegally discharging trade effluent. Ofwat said an increase in illegal trade effluent discharge would increase a wholesaler’s compliance risk and could have significant impacts on public health and the environment.