Trucked Liquid Waste

Some liquid waste cannot be legally disposed of in the sanitary sewer or stormwater system because it contains high levels of contaminants or poses a risk to public health and the environment.

Types of Trucked Liquid Waste [PDF/316KB]

This waste is often produced in large amounts by businesses such as:

Restaurants – grease interceptors
Car washes – vehicle wash interceptors
Auto repair shops – oil-water separators
Parking lots – catch basins/stormwater rehabilitation units
Photo processors – fixer solutions
Laboratories – various chemicals

These and other high-strength liquid wastes must be transported by a certified hauler to an approved disposal or treatment facility.

To help businesses find collection and disposal services, the CRD provides the Trucked Liquid Waste (TLW) Service Provider Directory [PDF/683KB] [PDF/683KB]. This directory lists companies operating in the capital region that collect, transport and dispose of non-sewerable liquid waste.

The directory is for informational purposes only and does not endorse any specific company. If your company provides trucked liquid waste services in the capital region and would like to be added to the directory, please email(opens in new window) us.

Catch Basins

What is a catch basin?

Catch basins are underground chambers with grates that collect stormwater. They are commonly found in parking lots and streets. In addition to rainwater, they can also collect litter, car fluids (oils, gas, antifreeze, etc.), metals, sediments, leaves, sand, grit and/or soil.

Catch basins help reduce pollution by allowing solids to settle at the bottom while lighter materials float. These units drain into stormwater systems that flow into nearby streams, wetlands, or the ocean.

Catch Basin Maintenance

Proper maintenance of catch basins is essential to keeping pollution out of our waterways, beaches, and shorelines. With climate change bringing heavier rainfall in the winter, regular cleaning is even more important to prevent flooding, property damage, and environmental harm.

Catch Basin Best Management Practices

Property owners and waste generators are responsible for cleaning out catch basins. Clean your catch basin at least annually before the fall rains start in September or October. This helps prevent flooding and damage to your and neighbouring businesses.

Hire a qualified company to pump out your catch basin as they know where to properly dispose of the waste. See the Trucked Liquid Waste Service Provider Director [PDF/683KB]y for a list of companies that provide this service. If the waste is classified as hazardous, haulers need a license from the provincial government to haul and dispose of it.

When transporting and disposing of catch basin waste, a manifest form needs to be completed by the hauler or waste generator.

Example Waste Manifest form [PDF/11KB]

In a parking lot, spills of oil, antifreeze or other engine fluids must be cleaned up immediately in order to prevent these substances from entering the catch basin and stormwater system. Prepare a spill response plan and keep a spill kit on hand in case of emergency spills. Keep a record of any spills, including:

Date of spill
Type of material spilled
Quantity of material spilled
The spill response action

In the event of a spill to the environment immediately contact the BC Environmental Emergency Program at 1.800.663.3456. Provincial regulations may require notification for spills as small as 1 litre depending on the substance. Keeping a spill kit on hand to manage any accidents will ensure the health of our freshwater and marine environment.

Green stormwater infrastructure such as a rain garden, infiltration flow through planters or permeable paving help slow, clean and store rainwater. When rain falls in our region, it quickly moves from our roofs, streets and parking lots to storm drains that enter local waterways and shorelines. This intense runoff grows in volume and picks up various pollutants along the way including oil, metals and bacteria. By adding green stormwater infrastructure around your parking lot, you can reduce the rainwater and pollution entering your catch basin and cleaning requirements. Learn more >>

To properly determine whether a catch basin contains hazardous waste, expensive laboratory analysis is required. However, there are clues that give an indication of whether catch basin waste may be hazardous:

Oil and grease sheen
Discolouration
Surface staining around
Unusual odours (like gasoline or oil)

If indicators are present, a hauler should treat the waste as hazardous to save the costs of laboratory analysis. Be aware of and prevent collection of liquid waste from any nearby pollutant sources (fuel stations, vehicle servicing facilities, industrial areas, recyclers, scrap yards, electrical transformers, etc.). If the waste is hazardous, the hauler is required to hold or obtain a license from the BC Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy to transport it. A Hazardous Waste Manifest Form must be completed and distributed to the ministry, the waste generator, the waste hauler and the waste receiver.

Properties in Central Saanich, North Saanich & Sidney must follow the Saanich Peninsula Stormwater Source Control Bylaw No. 4168:

Inspect your catch basin every three months to verify floating oils and solid levels.
Floating oil and grease, and settled solids cannot accumulate to more than 75% of the designed capacity.
Use a certified hauler to clean out the catch basin yearly right before the fall rains in September or October.
No chemical agents, solvents or hot water can be used to help oil, grease and solids to move through the catch basin.
For full details, check out Schedule "C" of Bylaw No. 4168 [PDF/304KB].

Trucked Liquid Waste