We pump out holding tanks and drainage wells, clean grease separators, install treatment plants and prepare certificates for inspections. We also pump out septic tanks for residential houses in Šķirotava.
Šķirotava: the railway, warehouses and scattered houses
Šķirotava is an industrial and logistics neighbourhood in the south-east of Riga, built around large railway junctions. Access is via Lubānas iela and Krustpils iela and the Southern Bridge (Dienvidu tilts) links. Warehouses, factories, wholesale trade and technical services dominate, while residential houses stand in a few separate spots.
When it comes to wastewater, one neighbourhood has very different situations: buildings connected to the city network, staff facilities with their own holding tank, canteens with a grease separator and large yards with rainwater and drainage wells.
If the site has no connection to the city sewer
A factory or warehouse without a connection has two options. A sealed holding tank is simple and needs no electricity, but it has to be pumped out completely every time, and with many staff this means frequent trips. A biological treatment plant treats the water on site, and only the surplus sludge has to be taken away, but it needs electricity, maintenance and a place to discharge the treated water.
The third option is a connection pipe to the nearest sewer main, if it can be reached. If the site is lower than the network or the main is far away, the connection includes a pump station with a pressure pipe; then the holding tank trips are no longer needed.
Factory-made plants with a capacity of up to 5 m³ per day fall under the rules for decentralised sewage systems. A larger capacity needs a separate design and approvals. On choosing a plant: biological treatment plants for businesses; on the tank: holding tank installation.
A holding tank for a business: an example calculation
The cost of a holding tank is set by how often it has to be emptied. An example based on an assumption: if 20 people work a shift and each uses about 50 litres of water for domestic needs, roughly 1 m³ goes into the tank each day. A 10 m³ tank then fills up in about two working weeks, which adds up to more than 20 pumpings a year.
At this frequency, it is worth comparing the cost of the holding tank with a BIO plant, from which only the surplus sludge is taken away, or with a connection to the city network. To calculate your case, give the number of staff, the shifts and, if available, the water meter readings in your request.
It is worth fitting the tank with a level alarm that warns you when only the last few cubic metres are left. Then you can request pumping in time, not at the moment the staff facilities have to be closed.
Documents a business is asked for at an inspection
In Riga, decentralised systems are supervised by the municipal Riga Housing and Environment Department. A business must be able to show:
- the registration confirmation for the system (for a new system, the application is submitted within a month of construction);
- a certificate for each pumping with the address, date, volume and the pumping contractor's details, kept for at least two years;
- a written declaration of the volume removed in the previous year, submitted by 1 May;
- for a BIO plant: the maintenance document and wastewater analyses by an accredited laboratory every two years.
For failing to meet these requirements, a legal entity may receive a warning or a fine of up to 280 penalty units. Tanks may be emptied only by a pumping contractor that the department has included in its list.
Sources (checked 30 October 2026): Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66, points 4.2, 5.5, 5.6, 7 and 30 (likumi.lv/ta/id/304471); Cabinet Regulation No. 384, points 3, 4.3 and 9.1 (likumi.lv/ta/id/291947).
Access on a large site
On Šķirotava sites, the way to the lid can involve gates with security, internal roads with forklifts, railway siding crossings and loading zones that are busy at certain hours. So that the trip is not wasted, give these details in your request:
- which gate to drive in through and whether a pass is needed;
- where each tank or well is, ideally marked on a site plan;
- the approximate volume and whether the tanks can be pumped out in one visit;
- a contact person who will meet us on site.
Railway and logistics sites may have their own safety rules, for example high-visibility vests or an escort for the whole drive. If yours does, tell us in advance so that we can follow them right from the gate.
Canteens, yards and construction sites
In a staff canteen, the grease separator must be cleaned regularly. Riga's rules do not allow grease to be discharged into the network, and hardened grease also clogs the site's own pipes. Cleaning costs from €90: grease trap cleaning.
Over time, sand and sediment build up in yard gullies and drainage wells, and we pump them out with the same tanker. For construction sites and seasonal work, we empty portable toilets: portable toilet pumping.
Emptying construction site toilets can be combined with pumping out other tanks on the same site, if there is enough room in the tanker and the contents may be mixed.
Residential houses and neighbouring areas
For residential houses in Šķirotava with a septic tank, the same rules apply as elsewhere in Riga: the system must be registered, and the sludge must be removed at least once a year. For a house septic tank up to 4 m³, the price starts from €75, and there is no travel surcharge within the city limits: septic tank pumping in Šķirotava.
The neighbouring areas are Dārzciems, Pļavnieki, Ķengarags, Rumbula and Dārziņi. All the others: where we work.