Larry A. Watts 
The SENT system in Poland (Electronic Transport Supervision System) was initially introduced in 2017 to record the transport of goods such as chemicals, fuels and tobacco, and is primarily a tool to increase tax revenue and reduce crime. From the 1st. In February this year, the system is also made mandatory for the transport of waste, 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 Wojciech Oset, Account and TFS-manager at Geminor Poland.
“Companies dealing with cross-border shipments of waste will be required to register each shipment of waste through the electronic platform PUESC 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 shipper, receiver and carrier throughout the shipment.
“In addition to the waste transport registration, the transporter is required to provide geolocation data and the driver will have a reference number and an active locator,” explains Oset.
According to the Polish authorities, the aim of the SENT initiative is to tighten up the waste management market and prevent illegal shipments of waste. The Polish Climate Ministry believes that the new solution will also have a positive impact on the competitiveness of the waste management market, bringing common rules to the industry.
Failure to comply with the SENT registration of waste shipments will also be penalized with significant fines: if the transport is not correctly declared in SENT, a fine will be imposed, calculated at 46% of the gross value of the goods transported, and never less than 4,350 euros. A report not updated by the carrier before transport can be sanctioned with a fine of at least 2,200 euros.
“Polish authorities want more control over shipments and send a signal that they take the fight against environmental crime seriously. This is another regulation which, in addition to the upcoming Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) update, will reduce cross-border waste crime, but will also increase the complexity of waste management by Europe”, concludes Wojciech Oset, Account and TFS-manager at Geminor Poland.
