Trade Wastewater Policy.

The Trade Wastewater Policy is a national policy with a sectoral approach. The overall objective of this policy is to enhance quality of life of the people of Papua New Guinea by ensuring the provision of quality water and safe sanitation services by protecting the sewerage infrastructure, operation personnel, public health and the environment.
The Policy sets guidelines and limits of liquid waste generated by industries, manufacturing businesses and commercial enterprises to be discharged into the sewerage system, and provides for control mechanisms which includes issuing of permits depending on category of trade waste generator. Measures will be taken against trade waste to minimize the risk to public health and to protect the infrastructure of the sewerage system, biological processes at the treatment plant, and recycling, and to prevent environmental contamination and degradation. To this end, all industries, manufacturing and commercial enterprises generating trade waste shall be required to ensure pre-treatment of their trade waste to comply with Water PNG Guidelines. Furthermore, the Policy provides for inspection and monitoring of dischargers’ pre-treatment facilities, including the determination of discharge quantity and quality depending on the category of discharger, and sets out the charges and fees for discharge of trade waste into Water PNG sewerage system by the commercial establishments and industries under the user-pays principle. Moreover, testing of samples will be undertaken in an accredited laboratory recognised by Water PNG. Infectious wastes and waste water from medical, clinical, veterinary areas together with the toxic and hazardous wastes shall not be discharged to sewer. The discharge of commercial products containing genetically modified organisms to sewerage system is subject to the approval for discharge to coastal and inland waters from the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority. In addition, the approval for food waste disposal units for non-domestic use requires specific application to Water PNG.