How often should a Sydney restaurant pump out its grease trap?

Most Sydney restaurants run on monthly to every two months. Sydney Water writes the binding figure into your trade waste agreement based on trap size and your fat, oil and grease load.

Who regulates restaurants in Sydney?

Sydney Water sets the trade waste rules for commercial kitchens in Sydney, including restaurants. Your pump-out frequency, the licensed-transporter requirement and the waste-tracking obligations all come from the trade waste agreement they issue.

How often should a restaurant clean its grease trap?

For most full-service restaurants the trade waste agreement sets it at monthly, sometimes every two months for a smaller venue. Fryer-heavy menus get the tighter interval. The figure in your trade waste agreement is the legal one.

What size grease trap does a restaurant need?

Most full-service restaurants run a 2,000-litre or 3,000-litre trap. Smaller venues with a tight menu can get away with 1,000 litres; a busy steakhouse or seafood restaurant usually needs 3,000 litres or larger.

Sydney · By venue type

Grease trap cleaning for restaurants in Sydney

What drives the cost of a planned grease trap clean for Sydney restaurants, the practical interval most run to, and how to get three licensed quotes today.

Typical restaurant setup in Sydney

Typical trap size

2,000 to 3,000 litres

Typical interval

Monthly to every two months

Trade waste authority

Sydney Water

Why restaurants' traps fill up the way they do

Sustained dinner and lunch service every week pushes a heavy daily fat, oil and grease load through the trap.
Most restaurant menus combine fryers, grills and saute lines, which produce more oil per cover than a cafe or bakery.
Multi-room kitchens often share one trap that was sized for the original menu, not the current volume.

What affects the cost in Sydney

Restaurants sit at the higher end of the planned-clean range because traps are bigger and the contractor is on site longer per pump-out. Recurring monthly contracts usually come in cheaper per clean than ad-hoc bookings. Access, travel within the Sydney metro and whether the job is planned or urgent also move the price. Comparing three quotes for your venue is the quickest way to see what a fair price looks like.

More on what drives the price is in the cost guide.

Compliance in Sydney

Sydney Water sets the trade waste rules. Your trade waste agreement is the binding document for frequency and the licensed-transporter requirement. The state-level guide has the published penalty figure and the audit triggers: NSW compliance.

Getting quotes

Submit the form with your venue address, trap details and contact. Skip what you do not know. Up to three licensed contractors quote, typically same business day. Free for venues.

Frequently asked by Sydney restaurants

How much does restaurant grease trap cleaning cost in Sydney?: It depends on your trap size, access, how often you clean and whether the job is planned or urgent. Restaurants sit at the higher end of the planned-clean range because traps are bigger and the contractor is on site longer per pump-out. Recurring monthly contracts usually come in cheaper per clean than ad-hoc bookings. The best way to know your price is to compare quotes from Sydney contractors for your venue.
How often should a Sydney restaurant pump out its grease trap?: Most Sydney restaurants run on monthly to every two months. Sydney Water writes the binding figure into your trade waste agreement based on trap size and your fat, oil and grease load.
Who regulates restaurants in Sydney?: Sydney Water sets the trade waste rules for commercial kitchens in Sydney, including restaurants. Your pump-out frequency, the licensed-transporter requirement and the waste-tracking obligations all come from the trade waste agreement they issue.
How often should a restaurant clean its grease trap?: For most full-service restaurants the trade waste agreement sets it at monthly, sometimes every two months for a smaller venue. Fryer-heavy menus get the tighter interval. The figure in your trade waste agreement is the legal one.
What size grease trap does a restaurant need?: Most full-service restaurants run a 2,000-litre or 3,000-litre trap. Smaller venues with a tight menu can get away with 1,000 litres; a busy steakhouse or seafood restaurant usually needs 3,000 litres or larger.