Customs officers have stopped yet another shipment of illegal waste from Germany at the border. Its destination was a company in Ostrołęka. It turns out this is a regular practice.
Plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, aluminium foil and textiles instead of clean waste paper — that’s what was found in the cargo detained at the former border crossing in Świecko. The truck coming from Germany was officially carrying paper and cardboard to the Mazovian Voivodeship. However, a check by the National Revenue Administration revealed the deception. It turned out to be illegal waste from across our western border.
The details of the case were uncovered by the local portal eOstroleka.pl — because it was Ostrołęka that the transport was heading to.
Poland Flooded With Illegal Waste From Germany
Officers decided to look more closely at the transport registered in the system. The declaration was clear: paper and cardboard. The reality proved to be vastly different. An inspection of the trailer left no doubt. Instead of sorted paper waste, inspectors found a mixture of various types of garbage.
What’s worse, the driver did not have the documents required to transport such cargo. The Provincial Environmental Inspector was immediately called to the scene and unequivocally confirmed the illegal nature of the shipment.
The case was taken over by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (GIOŚ). The intended destination was a company operating in Ostrołęka. And here a worrying pattern emerges: over the course of just one year, attempts were made to deliver more than 141 tonnes of illegal waste to this single location. All the transports were deemed non-compliant with the EU regulation on waste shipment.
According to European regulations, illegal waste must be returned to the country of origin at the expense of the entity responsible for the shipment. In this case, the blame lies with the German company that organised the transport. GIOŚ officially notified the competent German authority and demanded actions ensuring the return of the illegal cargo. All previous transports were also sent back to Germany.
The intercepted shipment is further proof that Poland continues to struggle with the problem of illegal waste imports from Western European countries. Even though the regulations are clear, the practice persists.