New trade effluent charges in Ireland: what hospitality businesses need to know before 1 October 2026
Trade effluent charges for Irish businesses will change on 1 October 2026. Restaurants, hotels, cafés, takeaways, pubs serving cooked food and other food service establishments fall into Trade Effluent Category 1.
The change introduces a single national system for calculating trade effluent charges for licensed customers across Ireland. It does not create a new legal requirement to manage fats, oils and grease (FOG); those responsibilities already apply.
The key points
Start date: The new charges take effect on 1 October 2026.
Who is affected: Licensed customers that discharge trade effluent into Uisce Éireann’s wastewater network.
Food service category: Uisce Éireann places all food service establishments in Trade Effluent Category 1.
What is changing: The way trade effluent services are charged.
What is not new: The requirement to hold the appropriate licence and comply with its conditions.
Does the change apply to your hospitality business?
Uisce Éireann identifies food service establishments as commercial activities in Trade Effluent Category 1. Its examples include:
restaurants and takeaways;
pubs serving cooked food;
cafés and coffee shops;
hotels and B&Bs; and
other premises where food is prepared, cooked or served.
The new charges apply to licensed customers that discharge trade effluent into Uisce Éireann’s public wastewater network. If you are unsure whether a particular connection is affected, check the tariff notification for that connection or contact Uisce Éireann.
What will a Category 1 business pay?
For a metered Category 1 connection, the 2026/27 trade effluent charge has three parts:
A wastewater standing charge.
A volumetric charge based on billable wastewater.
A compliance and licensing charge of €386.51 per licence per year.
The standing and volumetric rates depend on the connection’s Annual Quantity, or AQ. In simple terms, this is the annual volume used to place the connection in the appropriate tariff band.
The tariffs are based on the previous year’s annual water consumption. For a wastewater-only connection, they are based on the volume of trade effluent discharged.
Category 1 uses a volumetric charge. It does not use the Mogden formula applied to Categories 2 and 3. This means a food service establishment in Category 1 will not be charged directly according to the grease strength of its discharge.
How much could your bill change?
There is no single increase that applies to every hospitality business. The effect will depend on factors including:
the connection’s current charging arrangement;
its Annual Quantity;
whether it is metered; and
the tariff details issued by Uisce Éireann.
Could your business receive transition support?
The CRU has approved a five-year transition period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031, but support is not automatic.
Broadly, a customer must:
be moving from a different charging structure for its trade effluent services; and
face an expected annual trade effluent bill increase of at least €750.
A bill cap will only be applied where it benefits the customer. Uisce Éireann will notify customers of their tariff category and whether they qualify for capping.
If the Annual Quantity or primary business activity shown for a connection appears incorrect, the business should contact Uisce Éireann.
Do Irish food businesses need a FOG licence?
Yes, where the business discharges FOG to the public sewer. Uisce Éireann states that the business must apply for a FOG licence.
Section 16 of the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977, as amended, prohibits the discharge of trade effluent to a sewer except under and in accordance with the appropriate licence. Discharging without a required licence remains an offence.
The licence contains the conditions for the individual premises. Depending on those conditions, the business may need an appropriately sized grease trap or grease removal unit.
What should a food business do about fats, oils and grease?
FOG can cool and solidify inside pipes. This can cause blockages, odours, operational disruption and sewage overflows.
Uisce Éireann advises food service businesses to:
maintain grease-trapping equipment and keep maintenance records;
service equipment in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations;
record how used cooking oil is recycled;
store used cooking oil in a suitable container;
use an appropriately authorised collector for used oil;
scrape or wipe plates, pans and utensils before washing;
use strainers in sink plugholes; and
keep FOG out of sinks and floor drains.
There is no single national cleaning interval stated in the Uisce Éireann sources reviewed for every grease trap. The correct schedule depends on the site’s licence conditions, the equipment manufacturer’s instructions and the demands placed on the system.
Hospitality trade effluent checklist
Before 1 October 2026, check the following for each site:
Does the kitchen discharge trade effluent to Uisce Éireann’s public sewer network?
Is the site’s trade effluent or FOG licence current and readily available?
Has someone checked the Uisce Éireann tariff notification?
Do the Annual Quantity, business activity and Category 1 tariff band appear correct?
Does the grease trap or grease removal unit meet the site’s licence conditions and equipment specification?
Is the equipment being serviced in line with the licence and manufacturer’s recommendations?
Are the maintenance, servicing and used-oil recycling records complete?
Do staff consistently keep FOG out of sinks and floor drains?
If any answer is “no” or “not sure”, investigate it before the new charges take effect.
How McBreen Environmental can help
Busy commercial kitchens produce significant amounts of fats, oils and grease. Without suitable equipment and regular maintenance, this build-up can contribute to blockages, unpleasant odours, overflows and disruption to your business.
We support restaurants, hotels, cafés, takeaways, pubs, catering operations and other hospitality businesses across Ireland with grease-trap cleaning and maintenance, grease-trap supply and installation, drain jetting and related drainage services. We work with individual premises as well as businesses operating across multiple locations.
Our preventative maintenance plans are based on factors such as kitchen activity, grease-trap size and the amount of FOG produced. Planned servicing can help address build-up before it leads to blockages, odours or unplanned downtime.
For businesses that need structured ongoing support, we can put a service level agreement in place covering agreed service schedules, documentation and support arrangements. This provides a consistent approach across one location or an entire group of hospitality premises.
After each service, we provide clear documentation. This can include before-and-after photographs, the amount of waste removed where measurable, waste-disposal or recycling records and a maintenance report. These records help you maintain an organised service history and demonstrate how your grease-management equipment is being maintained.
To discuss grease-trap cleaning, maintenance or installation for one site or multiple locations, call 0818 66 33 33 or email sales@mcbreen.ie.
Questions about a FOG licence, tariff category, Annual Quantity or bill should be directed to Uisce Éireann.
Frequently asked questions
When do Ireland’s new trade effluent charges begin?
The new national charges take effect on 1 October 2026. The approved 2026/27 tariffs apply until 30 September 2027.
Which trade effluent category applies to restaurants and hotels?
Uisce Éireann states that all food service establishments are commercial activities in Trade Effluent Category 1. This includes restaurants, hotels, cafés, takeaways, pubs serving cooked food and other premises where food is prepared, cooked or served.
Are Category 1 charges based on grease levels?
No. For a metered Category 1 connection, the variable element is based on the volume of wastewater discharged. There is no separate charge based directly on measured grease levels.
What does the Category 1 charge include?
For a metered Category 1 connection, the charge includes a wastewater standing charge, a volumetric charge based on billable wastewater and a compliance and licensing charge. The compliance and licensing charge for the 2026/27 tariff year is €386.51 per licence per year.
Is the requirement to manage FOG new?
No. The October 2026 change concerns how trade effluent services are charged. The requirement to hold the appropriate licence and comply with its conditions already exists.
Does my hospitality business need a FOG licence?
Uisce Éireann states that a business discharging fats, oils and grease to the public sewer must apply for a FOG licence. The licence sets out the conditions that apply to the individual premises.
How often must a grease trap be cleaned?
Food service establishments are generally required to have grease traps and schedule regular cleaning.
Best practice: clean when the trap is about 25% full of FOG/solids, or at least every 3-6 months, depending on usage. Heavy-use kitchens (fried foods, high volume) may require cleaning monthly.
What grease-trap records should a business keep?
Businesses should retain grease trap maintenance and servicing records and record how used cooking oil is collected and recycled. Service reports, before-and-after photographs and waste-disposal documentation can also help maintain an organised maintenance history.
Is transition support available to every business?
No. Transition support is not automatic. Broadly, the customer must be moving from a different trade effluent charging structure and face an expected annual bill increase of at least €750. Uisce Éireann will notify customers that qualify for bill capping.
How can McBreen Environmental help?
We provide grease trap cleaning and maintenance, grease trap supply and installation, preventative maintenance plans, service level agreements and related drainage support for hospitality businesses across Ireland. We can support individual premises and businesses operating across multiple locations.
For further info see link below:
Category 1 Customers | Uisce Eireann
Trade Effluent Tariff Framework Final Decision Response Paper | pdf
