Waste and sewage disposal

General waste

You must not dispose of rubbish or any other waste from your vessel into the water.

You can help protect the marine environment by:

• collecting all your rubbish on board and disposing of it properly on shore
• using low-phosphate or no-phosphate soaps and detergents in sinks and showers
• wiping cooking utensils and plates clean with a paper towel before washing.

Cleaning your vessel

When you wash your vessel, you must do everything you can to protect the environment. Practical steps include:

• Where possible, use an approved slipway or wash bay with waste containment and wastewater controls.
• Rinse trailered vessels with fresh water after each trip.
• When your vessel is moored, remove any slime or growth that's beneath the waterline with a soft cloth, brush or sponge.
• When cleaning, avoid removing surface coatings – such as antifouling paint – while your vessel is in the water.
• Minimise use of chemicals or degreasers.
• Check product labels and use non-toxic, low- or no-phosphate and chlorine-free cleaners.
• Use highly diluted detergent solutions.
• Do not let the wastewater run back into the waterway.

New marine pollution rules

The Marine Pollution Regulation 2024 came into effect on 25 March 2024 and introduced changes to improve the management of marine pollution in NSW.

These changes will help protect our waters and coastal environment from pollution from vessels. Major changes include:

• a broadening of the rules to ensure the Regulation applies to all State waters
• improving recreational vessel operators’ compliance with pollution requirements by introducing a new offence for defective, altered or modified sewage systems that can allow for the illegal discharge of sewage
• introducing oil pollution insurance requirements for superyachts (recreational vessels over 24 metres), and
• introducing proactive measures to require pollutants such as oil to be removed from derelict or out of commission vessels.

Oil and chemicals

You must not discharge oil and chemicals from your vessel into the water.

Make sure you:

• keep bilges clean to prevent pollutants being discharged
• refuel small vessels and refill fuel containers on shore, away from the water, avoiding overfilling
• clean up any oil or fuel spills quickly.

You must report marine oil or chemicals spills to:

• Transport for NSW (Maritime) on 13 12 36, or
• Port Authority of NSW on 9296 4999, or
• NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on 13 15 55.

Special recreational vessels (Superyachts) - oil pollution insurance

Marine pollution legislation requires that ‘ships must be insured against damage by discharge of oil’. As a result, all recreational vessels over 24 metres (i.e. superyachts) will be required to hold oil pollution insurance. This requirement will come into effect on 1 July 2025. 

Sewage

You must not discharge raw sewage into NSW waterways. For recreational vessels, your options for sewage storage are:

• an onboard toilet with a holding tank
• a small portable toilet with a holding tank
• onshore toilets.

Houseboats must have an onboard toilet with a holding tank.

Raw sewage from a holding tank must be discharged at a pumpout facility or toilet.

From 25 March 2024, both the master and owner of a recreational vessel that has a sewage system on board will be guilty of an offence if the sewage system, or part of the sewage system, on the vessel  is defective or has been altered or modified in a way that enables the discharge of sewage into State waters.