The Environment Agency’s General Binding Rules states that ‘you must get the sludge that builds up in your septic tank or sewage treatment plant removed (desludged) before it exceeds the maximum capacity. As a minimum, you should have your treatment system desludged once a year or in line with the manufacturer’s instructions’. It goes on to states that ‘The company you use to dispose of your waste sludge must be a registered waste carrier’.
The importance of this legal requirement has been highlighted this week when when two Cornish men were convicted of collecting raw sewage, septic tank contents and other controlled wastes from holiday and caravan parks, hotels, a farm, abattoir and a car dealership, storing the waste and then injecting the mixture into rented ground in West Cornwall.
The men pleaded guilt to various environmental offences and were fined over £240, 000!! More details can be found by clicking the link https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/two-men-convicted-over-injection-6969363.
The Environment Agency requires that you must keep records of work done to empty, maintain or repair your septic tank or sewage treatment plant, such as invoices, waste transfer notes or service reports. These will be requested either when you 1. sell your property (by your solicitor) or 2. by the Environment Agency or Environmental Health should there be an pollution investigation around your property.
Records are an easy way to prove compliance and ongoing maintenance. WCI recommends you keep a minimum of 5 years of records for your system.
