Never pour fats, oils or grease, paint and solvents, automotive fluids, pesticides, fertilisers, medicines, concentrated chemicals or thick food waste down household or stormwater drains. These materials can block pipes, create hazardous reactions, disrupt wastewater treatment or pollute waterways.
What to keep out of drains
- Fats, oils and grease: Let them cool, seal them in a suitable container and follow your council’s waste guidance. Hot water and detergent only move grease further along the pipe.
- Paint, thinners, solvents, adhesives and chemicals: Keep them sealed in their original labelled containers. Take accepted products to an NSW EPA Household Chemical CleanOut service or council-approved facility.
- Motor oil and automotive fluids: Take engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and fuel to an authorised recycling or chemical collection service. Never dilute them with water.
- Pesticides and fertilisers: Keep them in their original labelled containers and use an approved chemical collection service. Do not pour them onto soil or into gutters.
- Medicines: Return unwanted or expired medicines to a participating pharmacy through the Return Unwanted Medicines scheme.
- Coffee grounds and thick food waste: Put grounds, scraps, flour, dough and food slurries in the appropriate council waste stream. These materials can settle, swell or form a paste inside pipes.
What not to put down an outside drain
Stormwater drains should receive rainwater only. Household wastewater travels through the sewer system for treatment, while stormwater from roofs, yards, driveways and streets may flow to local waterways without sewage treatment.
Never wash oil, paint, chemicals, pesticide residue, fertiliser or detergent-rich water into yard grates, driveway drains or street gutters. If you do not know where an outside grate leads, do not use it for disposal; check with your council or ask a licensed plumber to identify the drainage system.
After an accidental hazardous spill
Stop pouring immediately. Do not add water, attempt to neutralise the substance, reach into the drain or mix it with another product. Keep people and pets away.
- Follow the product label’s emergency instructions from a safe distance. Do not handle a leaking, unknown or unlabelled container.
- For suspected poisoning or chemical exposure, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. Call 000 for breathing difficulty, fire, serious symptoms or immediate danger.
- If the substance entered stormwater or could harm the environment, contact the NSW EPA Environment Line on 131 555 for advice.
- Keep remaining material sealed and check the NSW EPA Household Chemical CleanOut service or your council for accepted products, transport requirements and collection locations.
Never mix bleach with ammonia, acids, drain cleaners or other chemicals. The reaction may release toxic gas, generate heat or cause dangerous splashing. Check which drain cleaners must never be mixed before adding any product.
If ordinary household waste has caused a blockage, stop using the affected fixture and contact our licensed Sydney blocked drain plumbers. Tell them what entered the drain, especially if any chemical product was used.