Council adopted the revised fees on 8 May 2026, to come into effect on 1 July.
Each year, we review our fees to make sure they are fair, transparent, and reflect the cost of providing the service. Following our latest review, trade waste fees will increase from 1 July 2026.
These fees help cover the cost of managing trade waste so that businesses that produce it pay for the service, rather than those costs being covered by general rates.
Trade waste is liquid waste from businesses that is discharged into the city’s wastewater system.
Summary of changes
- A 15% increase to volume-based trade waste charges, based on trade waste volumes and operating costs over the past two years.
- A 4% increase to sampling and analysis fees used for compliance monitoring, to reflect rising testing and operational costs.
The volume-based charges are calculated using formulas set out in the Palmerston North Wastewater Bylaw.
You can find the full list of the changes we proposed in the consultation document below.
Consultation document: Proposed Trade Waste Fees 2026/27(PDF, 810KB)