On 8 June, near the border crossing in Jędrzychowice, a patrol of the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław stopped a vehicle combination for inspection. According to the documentation, it was transporting waste intended for further processing. The sender of the goods was a German company, while the recipient was a company from Żory (Silesian Voivodeship).
An inspection of the transported waste was carried out: 36 compressed bales/packages weighing nearly 24,000 kg. The entire load gave off an intense and very unpleasant smell.
The customs and tax officers were concerned about the nature of the waste and whether it had been properly classified—and consequently, whether it could be brought into Poland on the basis of the documents presented.
The Voivodeship Inspectorate for Environmental Protection confirmed the officers’ suspicions, establishing that municipal waste had been brought into the country. Since its transboundary movement cannot take place without written notification and the consent of the competent authorities, the transport stopped by the officers was illegal.
Due to a justified suspicion that a crime had been committed, and pursuant to the Act on the International Movement of Waste, the transport and its documentation were detained for further criminal proceedings. The Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection was also notified. The driver was fined.
“We remind you that the illegal import of waste from abroad is punishable by imprisonment from three months to five years,” representatives of the Wrocław Chamber of Tax Administration said.