Approved wastewater systems

Only approved onsite wastewater products can be used in WA.

Property owners who install an unapproved system contravene the Health (Treatment of Sewage and Disposal of Effluent and Liquid Waste) Regulations 1974 (external site).

It is important to check that a product has been approved for use before making a purchase or submitting an application to install, alter, upgrade or extend an on-site wastewater system.

Approved wastewater systems include:

• Alternative treatment systems
• Alternative toilets
• Greywater systems 
• Leach drains
• Primary Treatment Systems
• Secondary Treatment and Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Soakwells 
• Wastewater dump points

The Department of Health requires certification for all onsite wastewater treatment systems against the relevant Australian Standard as detailed in the table below:

*Department of Health approval as per Appendix 1 of Code of Practice for Product Approval of Onsite Wastewater Systems (2013)

Certification of wastewater systems against Australian Standards

All onsite wastewater treatment systems with the hydraulic capacities below the volumes in the table must be approved by the Department of Health. On how to obtain certification of wastewater system against the relevant Australian Standard please refer here.

Engineering certification

Onsite wastewater treatment systems with capacities exceeding the volumes presented in the table require engineering certification to accompany each application to install the system. It is recommended to submit an engineering certification for each system model at once so that the documentation is on the DoH records  for any future applications.

The Department of Health will approve and publish onsite wastewater treatment systems with capacities above volumes listed on the table that have StandardMark certification to the relevant Australian Standard.