From the 1st of February 2022, all waste transport to and in transit through Poland must be registered in the so-called SENT module. The regulation is implemented by Polish authorities in order to better control waste transport and reduce environmental crime in the country.

The SENT system in Poland (Electronic Transport Supervision System) was originally introduced in 2017 to register transport of goods such as chemicals, fuels, and tobacco, and is primarily a tool to increase tax revenues and reduce crime. From the 1st. February this year, the system is also made mandatory for the transport of waste, both to and in transit through Poland. This includes all waste covered by the Waste Shipment Regulation, EU 1013/2006.

All industry players involved in the transaction of waste to and from Poland will have to comply with the new regulations, explains Account and TFS-manager in Geminor Poland, Wojciech Oset: “Companies dealing with transfrontier waste shipments will be obligated to register each shipment of waste via the electronic PUESC platform of the Polish Ministry of Finance, which will be implemented through the SENT module offered within the PentaTAX Platform. This will be required by both the consignor, the consignee, and the carrier through the entire shipment.”

In addition to the registration of the waste transport, the transporter is required to provide geolocation data and the driver will have a reference number and active locator, says Oset.

Increases penalties

According to the Polish authorities, the purpose of the SENT initiative is to tighten the waste management market and to prevent illegal waste shipments. The Polish Ministry of Climate believes that the new solution also will have a positive impact on the competitiveness of the waste management market, bringing common rules to the industry.

Breach of the SENT registration of waste shipments will also be penalized with significant fines: If transport is not reported correctly in SENT, a fine will be given calculated at 46 percent of the gross value of the transported goods, and never less than Euro 4 350. A report not updated by the carrier prior to transport may be fined by at least Euro 2 200.

“The Polish authorities want more control of shipments and are sending a signal that they are taking the fight on environmental crime seriously. This is yet another regulation which in addition to the coming upgrade of the Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) will reduce transfrontier waste crime, but also increase the complexity of waste management in Europe”, concludes Account and TFS-manager in Geminor Poland, Wojciech Oset.