We provide regular maintenance and oily water pump out to over 400 sites across QLD & NSW. Our 20-point maintenance checklist will ensure your separator is kept in peak condition to protect the environment, meet all regulatory standards and operate effectively.
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QLD
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste (formerly ClearWaste) is a commercial wastewater management company servicing South East Queensland and northern NSW, specialising in hazardous and trade liquid wastes and pollution control systems including oil water separators.
Address
Unit 1, 61-71 Nestor Drive
QLD 4131 Meadowbrook
QLD 4131 Meadowbrook
Access
Opening hours:
Mo-Fr: 09:00 - 17:00
Customer Service
Operations
Operations Team
T +61 7 3286-5557
Email
Sales
Sales Enquiries
T 1800 860-512
Email
HSEQ
Incidents & Environmental Complaints
T 1300 110-638
Email
Expert wastewater management
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste (formerly ClearWaste) is an expert provider of trade wastewater services to South East Queensland and northern NSW, including maintenance, pump out and repair of oil water separators, disposal of hazardous liquids including chemical, drums and packaged wastes, and pollution control system maintenance. We provide scheduled or on-call services to the automotive industry, service stations, workshops, mining, transport and Government sectors.
Founded in 1996, ClearWaste has evolved into Australia’s premier provider of wastewater and pollution control solutions. Acquired by REMONDIS Aqua Australia on 1 February 2025, REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste will continue to be managed by Adam Walsh and his team, providing the same expert services to the same high standards you’ve come to expect.
Core services:
- Pollution control systems
- Stormwater diversion systems
- Oily water separators
- Oily water pump out and disposal
- Liquid trade waste management
Our client base
Automotive industry // Car sales // Car washes // Car hire // Crash repair // Service stations // Petrol stations // Truck stops // Workshops // Mining // Transport sector // Airports // Rail depots // Bus depots // Government services // Emergency services
Want to know more?
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste (formerly ClearWaste) is your trusted partner for pollution control systems including oil water separator services and trade wastewater management and disposal. Dive deeper into our expertise and operations, with these FAQs.
Why invest in professional trade wastewater disposal services?
Safe and compliant management of your trade wastes and wastewater can be challenging, with risks arising from ad hoc or unprofessional waste management. REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste's Adam Walsh offers five reasons why working with a professional provider is a sensible invetsment.
1. It saves you time and money
When you’re running your own business you’ve got a lot on your plate. And while maintaining a safe and hygienic environment is a critical part of what every business does, it takes time—time you might not otherwise have. Cleaning up and safely disposing of your waste and wastewater can tie up considerable hours, it’s true, but it’s not something you can skimp on. Engaging a professional waste disposal service makes sure this gets done for you, regularly, so you don’t have to worry about it. And they’ll likely do a much cleaner, more precise job than your or your team could, too.
As for saving money, yes, you are paying for the service. But a commercial waste disposal company is trained in waste and wastewater disposal. Your staff aren’t. By taking this task off their plate you’re freeing up your teams to focus on their priorities, and keep doing the work that earns you the money.
2. You create a safer environment for your staff and customers
Performing waste removal services in-house means you expose your staff to the contaminated wastewater that your business creates. And if not handled correctly, they can come into direct contact with hazardous toxins and materials that can cause long-term harm or illness.
While you may have the correct equipment and PPE, even with these you’re still exposing your staff to more potential danger than if they didn’t handle these materials at all. And it puts your customers in harm’s way too. Any slip-up or cut corner in the safe disposal of your waste and wastewater can lead to leaks or spills that your customers might come into contact with. Engaging a commercial waste removal team ensures thorough training, strict regulations, and a professional job, and limits any potential room for error.
3. It’s going to be much better for the environment
Now this isn’t to say that your in-house waste disposal service just involves the drain, or a bin. This simply means that in engaging the services of a professional waste removal company, they’ll have equipment and procedures that are more efficient at limiting your impact on the environment. Their equipment will be of a better commercial quality, and able to extract and separate more oils, grease, solids, and other contaminants from your wastewater. They’ll have protocols that ensure your rubbish is checked and separated thoroughly, so any recyclable materials don’t just end up in landfill. A commercial waste removal company has the training, skills, and equipment to do a better job — after all, their reputation relies on it.
4. It’s a better look for your business
Sustainability and going green sound like buzzwords at the moment, but the reality is they matter. People are becoming more environmentally-aware, and the upshot of that is they’re making more conscious choices about the brands they support. Engaging a professional waste disposal service to safely dispose of your waste and wastewater, and do so in an environmentally-friendly way, positions your business as doing the right thing. It shows that, like your customers, you’re making more sustainable choices for the future. So while being more environmentally-conscious is undoubtedly the right decision ethically, on a purely commercial level it’s the right decision for your brand’s image, too.
5. It’s the start of a cleaner, more efficient business culture
Once you put the wheels in motion and engage a professional waste removal service to take care of your waste and wastewater, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Your facilities will look and feel noticeably cleaner. There will be no build-up of waste that a staff member was too busy to deal with. The benefits of a cleaner business is a slippery slope, in the best possible way. As well as commercial waste removal, you and your teams might take some personal initiative with your recycling program. You might find suppliers who use less packaging materials, or greener transport methods. You’ll start to notice other areas where you can improve your processes, be more efficient, and go greener — and once you do, you’ll never go back.
Oil water separator regulations in Australia
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste's Adam Walsh summarises oil water separator discharge regulations in Australia, and the penalties incurred for non-compliance.
Trade industries generate many types of liquid wastes as a by-product of their manufacturing processes and operations, some of which are classified as prohibited substances. This includes trade wastewater. If released into the sewerage system without treatment, this trade wastewater can damage the environment and contaminate our drinking water.
This is why an oil water separator is so important. It pre-treats the wastewater you discharge and ensures you’re limiting the amount of hazardous chemicals and materials being released into the sewerage system.
The governing legislation
The Unauthorised Discharge Regulations 2004 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (the Act) lays out the oily water regulations and governs the discharge of trade wastewater. It makes it illegal to discharge hazardous substances, such as hydrocarbons, into groundwater or the stormwater system.
The governing body
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is the main regulator that governs the prevention, control, and monitoring of pollution levels in Australia. They’re the body that creates environmental policies and guidelines, and ensures compliance with environmental regulations.
How to remain compliant with oil water discharge regulations
Your local water authority will issue you with a permit that guides the safe levels and costs for discharging your wastewater. This will change depending on your local authority. In some cases, they may require you to install an approved oil water separator prior to applying for a permit, and provide evidence of a servicing schedule. If you don’t comply with the regulations set out in your permit, you can be issued a warning fine—or have your site shut down until you comply with the conditions. The cost of this fine will depend on your local council’s regulations.
Maintaining compliance
Regular inspection and maintenance of your oil water separator will keep it working at optimal efficiency. You’ll be able to make sure there’s no suspended debris or trapped oils, and ensure you remain compliant with your permit’s regulations.
To maintain compliance with the EPA and your local water authority, you must create a thorough maintenance and inspection plan for your oil water separator. This should clearly state the unit guidelines and maintenance practices, any safety & health procedures, and arrangements for wastewater disposal. In order to ensure compliance, you can prepare these in consultation with the people undertaking maintenance of your oil water separator.
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste will ensure your business’ oil water separator remains compliant with the EPA and your local water authority.
What's oily water, and how does oily water waste removal work?
A quick guide to what oily wastewater actually is, and why its safe removal is critical for your business, from REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste's Adam Walsh.
Oily wastewater is an inevitable byproduct of many industries. And with local councils providing strict regulations about how this should work, it’s important that you know what it is you’re dealing with.
What is oily wastewater?
Oily wastewater is exactly what it sounds like: it’s wastewater that contains any oils, grease, or fats. Prominent in the oil and food & beverage industry, for obvious reasons, oil water waste is also a big byproduct in the energy sector, and mechanical industry. When left untreated oily wastewater can leach into our drinking water, cause pollution in our rivers and oceans, and damage our local fauna.
How oily water waste removal works
For businesses who produce oily wastewater it’s critical that it’s removed from their facilities safely and hygienically. There are a few different stages involved in thorough oily water removal, which relate to the size of your business.
- STAGE 1 / Your business treats the oily wastewater itself. This typically involves using oil or grease traps to remove any solids, grease, oils, and fats. For larger volumes, you might use a triple interceptor to prevent any trade waste substances entering the sewer system directly from your facilities.
- STAGE 2 / For larger businesses, a Dissolved Air Flotation tank might be used to perform comprehensive waste oil removal. This process is more efficient at clarifying wastewater, and removing suspended oils and solids.
- STAGE 3 / For larger businesses, this is where REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste comes into it. We undertake your oily water removal services for you. We collect your oily water and arrange for transportation to a recycling facility. Here it’s treated further, and re-used in products such as composts and soils.
How much does oil water waste removal cost?
We typically price your oil waterwaste removal based on the volume you need removing, the size of your facility, any specific wastewater hazards, and factor in an hourly rate.
A guide to our 20-point oily water separator service
Regular servicing of your oil water separator acts as preventative maintenance, ensuring that it continues to run as efficiently as possible — and your business stays compliant with your local regulations. REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste's Adam Walsh outlines what’s checked and fixed when you have your oil water separator serviced, and why you need regular servicing.
Why you need to service your oil water separator
Let’s look at what’s involved with your oil water separator service. Like any piece of equipment, your oil water separator needs regular servicing to ensure it’s working as efficiently as possible. With the complex nature of this machinery, problems can be hard to detect until it’s already too late. It might already be releasing oily water out into the environment — or it could be verging on the point of breakdown. Without a regular service by an experienced technician, you won’t know any of this until it’s too late. Regular servicing of your oil water separator helps your equipment to run more efficiently, ensuring it lasts longer, and costs you less in the long run.
What happens in your oil water separator service
REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste runs through a 20-point maintenance checklist when we service your oil water separator. Here’s what’s included:
- Complete an external inspection of the unit for any physical damage, leaks, or areas of concern that indicate it requires further work.
- Check the operation of the holding tank pump, float switch/s and separator controller.
- Isolate the power supply to the pump and float switch/s.
- Check the sludge/solids levels in the holding tank and pump suction tube, to ensure they work correctly.
- Check the waste oil collection drum, and empty it into our on-site facility.
- Drain the separator unit into an on-site holding tank so we can check the condition of the discharge valves.
- Remove the plate pack from the separator and check for any signs of damage or deterioration.
- Drain any solids and flush them into a holding tank.
- Clean the plate pack surfaces to get rid of any build-up of sludge or scum.
- Check the pump parts, including the belts, diaphragm, and valves, and replace any pieces as necessary.
- Complete a service of the pump itself.
- Remove and clean, or if necessary replace, the filter bags.
- Close off the discharge valves, and reinstall and secure the plate packs back onto the oil water separator unit.
- Refill the tank with clean water and check it for any leaks.
- Turn the pump back on and ensure it’s fully operational.
- While the pump is running, we reset the oil skimmer level and ensure it works correctly.
- Pump out the holding tank.
- Clean the service area, removing any debris or service residue.
- Check, clean, and refit the silt traps in the collection pit.
- Document all work completed and safely store it so it’s ready for council audits.
Acquisition of ClearWaste by REMONDIS Aqua Australia
As you may know, REMONDIS Aqua Australia Pty Limited acquired ClearWaste recently, effective 1 February 2025. The business is now known as REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste. We’re delighted that Adam Walsh and his team will remain with the business, providing the same services to the same high standards you’ve come to expect.
What does this mean for current customers?
- Adam and his team will continue to provide the services you need.
- Our operations will be known as REMONDIS Aqua ClearWaste, with a new logo reflecting the change.
- ClearWaste’s prior terms and conditions and pricing will continue to apply.
REMONDIS Aqua Australia is delighted to be building new relationships in South East Queensland, with the support and expertise of Adam Walsh and his well-known and expert local team.
Trade liquid waste and wastewater, solved
Let's get to work. Contact us today to get a quote for your Oil Water Separator service, trade wastewater collection and disposal, or hazardous and packaged waste management. It’s fast and easy.
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