Illegal landfill sites are popping up again and again in Poland: Garbage mountains of up to eight meters or several hundred tons of waste on country lanes or on empty industrial sites. The police recently caught several truck drivers in the act. When checking the secured documents, it was clearly proven that the garbage came from Germany.
Among other things, old car tires, car seats, vehicle parts, mattresses and plastic were transported in several transports from Germany to Poland and illegally disposed of there.
Illegal waste disposal has been big business between German companies and Polish helpers for years. Eight cases have already been identified this year, but the number of unreported cases is very high, despite regular checks by customs, border guards and road inspection.
Since the paperwork is usually in perfect order, inspectors have to examine the cargo very closely to determine whether it contains different material than stated in the documents. Four out of eight illegal waste shipments this year were returned to Germany – the federal states are responsible for the return transport costs if the responsible environmental offender cannot be found.
Source: rbb24.de
