UK water companies are generating significant revenue by accepting industrial and commercial wastewater into their sewage treatment systems. According to reports, these companies collected more than £340 million in the last year through a process known as 'trade-effluent consents.' Under current law, utility providers are mandated to accept this waste but retain the authority to refuse specific applications if they choose.

However, the practice has drawn criticism from environmental experts who state that existing sewage treatment works are not designed to remove the complex chemical pollutants often found in industrial waste. Consequently, these substances frequently pass through the treatment process and are released into rivers, seas, and agricultural land. A significant point of concern is the lack of a central registry or an independent regulator to oversee the trade-effluent process, leaving the system operating as a 'black box' with minimal public or governmental transparency regarding what specific chemicals are being discharged into the environment.