Grease Trap Requirements by Business Type in Melbourne

Which Melbourne Businesses Need a Grease Trap?

If your business prepares, processes, or serves food in Melbourne, there is a strong chance you are legally required to install and maintain a grease trap. Water authorities across Melbourne—including Melbourne Water, Yarra Valley Water, South East Water, and Greater Western Water—mandate grease traps for any commercial premises that discharge trade waste containing fats, oils, and grease (FOG) into the sewer system.

However, not every food business has the same requirements. Trap size, cleaning frequency, and compliance obligations vary significantly depending on your business type, the volume of food you prepare, and the nature of your cooking operations. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of grease trap requirements across every major industry in Melbourne.

Not sure if your business needs a grease trap? Use our free grease trap assessment tool for an instant answer based on your business type and operations.

Restaurants: The Highest Demand for Grease Management

Restaurants are the most common type of food business requiring grease traps in Melbourne. Whether you operate a fine dining establishment in South Yarra or a family bistro in Brunswick, your kitchen almost certainly produces enough FOG to require a properly sized grease trap.

Most full-service restaurants in Melbourne require grease traps ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 litres, with cleaning schedules typically set at monthly to quarterly intervals depending on output. High-volume restaurants—particularly those with deep fryers, woks, or chargrills—often need more frequent pump-outs to stay compliant.

For a detailed breakdown of restaurant-specific requirements, read our complete restaurant grease trap guide or visit our restaurant industry page.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

Cafes occupy an interesting middle ground in grease trap regulations. A cafe that only serves beverages and pre-packaged food may be exempt from grease trap requirements. However, the moment your cafe prepares food on-site—toasting sandwiches, cooking breakfast items, or baking—a grease trap becomes mandatory.

Cafes typically require smaller above-ground grease traps in the 40 to 500 litre range, making them more affordable to install and maintain. However, do not underestimate the compliance requirements: your water authority still expects regular cleaning and documentation.

We cover this topic in depth in our guide to cafe grease trap requirements in Melbourne. You can also explore our cafe industry page for tailored service information.

Hotels, Pubs, and Licensed Venues

Hotels and pubs present unique grease trap challenges due to the scale and diversity of their food operations. A large hotel may have multiple kitchens—a main restaurant kitchen, a banquet kitchen, a bar kitchen, and a room service prep area—each generating FOG that must be captured and managed.

Pubs with bistros and beer gardens often underestimate their grease output, particularly during peak periods like weekends and public holidays. These venues frequently require triple interceptor systems capable of handling large volumes of trade waste.

Learn more about compliance for licensed venues in our hotel and pub grease trap compliance guide. For service details, visit our hotels and pubs industry page.

Food Courts and Shopping Centres

Food courts introduce a layer of complexity that individual restaurants do not face: shared infrastructure. In most Melbourne shopping centres, multiple tenants share a single large grease trap or triple interceptor system. This raises questions about responsibility, cost allocation, and maintenance scheduling.

Centre management typically holds the trade waste agreement with the water authority, but individual tenants still bear responsibility for minimising FOG discharge from their tenancies. Poor practices by one tenant can trigger compliance issues—and costs—for the entire food court.

Our food court grease trap management guide explains how shared responsibility works in practice. Visit our food court industry page for more details.

Aged Care Facilities and School Kitchens

Institutional kitchens in aged care facilities, schools, and universities are often overlooked when it comes to grease trap compliance. While these kitchens may produce lower volumes of FOG than commercial restaurants, they are still regulated by the same water authority requirements.

Health inspectors pay close attention to kitchen compliance in aged care settings, where hygiene and food safety standards are especially stringent. Schools and universities with on-site canteens or commercial catering operations also fall under trade waste regulations.

Read our dedicated guide on grease traps for aged care facilities and school kitchens for detailed requirements and best practices.

Food Manufacturing and Processing

At the industrial end of the spectrum, food manufacturing and processing plants face the most demanding grease trap requirements. These operations often run continuously, producing large volumes of trade waste that require high-capacity interceptors or automatic grease removal units (AGRUs).

EPA Victoria imposes strict industrial discharge limits on food manufacturers, and non-compliance can result in significant penalties. Many food processing plants in Melbourne’s industrial zones—from Dandenong South to Laverton North—require customised grease management solutions.

Our guide to industrial grease trap solutions for food manufacturing covers everything from AGRU systems to EPA compliance.

Understanding Your Compliance Obligations

Regardless of your business type, compliance with Melbourne’s trade waste regulations involves several key obligations:

• Trade waste agreement: You must hold a current agreement with your water authority.
• Correct trap sizing: Your grease trap must be appropriately sized for your operation, in accordance with AS 4674-2004.
• Regular cleaning: Cleaning must occur at intervals specified in your trade waste agreement, and records must be kept.
• Licensed waste transport: Grease trap waste must be removed by an EPA-licensed transporter.
• Documentation: Maintain cleaning certificates, manifests, and compliance records for inspection.

For a full overview of the regulatory framework, visit our regulations and compliance page.

How Melbourne Grease Trap Cleaning Can Help

We service every type of food business across Melbourne, from small cafes with 40-litre above-ground traps to large food manufacturing plants with industrial interceptor systems. Our team understands the specific requirements for each industry and can help you determine the right trap size, cleaning schedule, and compliance strategy for your operation.

Whether you need a one-off pump-out or an ongoing scheduled maintenance plan, we provide EPA-compliant service with full documentation. Contact us today for a free assessment tailored to your business type.