Lately, environment protection has become a very popular topic. Everywhere we can more and more often see products with “eco-” prefix. We willingly emphasise that we do care for the environment, starting with waste management, through all the stages of business activity, and ending with taking and transporting used-up products for utilization and reprocessing.
But should ecology associate to entrepreneurs and garage owners only with those activities?
Unfortunately not. In the course of business activities, entrepreneur has to meet and fulfil numerous legal obligations. One of them is meeting requirements resulting from environmental protection regulations. When running an automotive garage, depending on the scale of business activity (e.g. a garage, body repair service), and the owner has numerous environmental obligations to meet, negligence of which can lead to serious legal and financial consequences. Wishing to run a business activity in line with law regulations in force, one must analyse compliance of the business activity with below areas.
Influence on ambient air
In automotive garages, installations which have influence on ambient air quality are, among other things: body shops, paint shops, welding pits, room heating stoves and operation of combustion engines. As a result of introducing greenhouse gasses and dust to ambient air, entrepreneurs pay for emission generated by using heater rooms, power generators, company cars and technological processes (such as welding or painting). Till 31st March of each year for which a report is generated, business owners have to declare themselves to a province marshal, responsible for the area where a business is located, a report on using the natural environment and stipulate the amount due for aforementioned activity. The report has to be prepared on a form which is an annex to Environment Ministry Regulation on information and data about using the natural environment and amount due for that use. We have to keep in mind that any waiver of payments does not void the obligation of delivering such a report.
One also cannot forget about the obligation of delivering to The National Centre for Emissions Management a similar report. The above mentioned report has to be delivered to the Centre no later than on 28 February of the year following the reporting period. Before preparing such a report one must register an account in an Internet system of the national database, at: www.krajowabaza.kobize.pl.
Waste management
The second thing is production of waste, which is done in every single garage, and obliges us to dispose them correctly, by providing a suitable waste management cards to companies which have been given suitable administrative decisions on collection of such waste. (Remember to ask the company to show you such a decision on management of waste).
As business entrepreneurs we are also obliged to keep a quality and quantity record of waste, in line with waste catalogue published by the Ministry of Environment. Also till 15th March each year following the reporting period one has to provide a collective report on quantity of generated waste. The source of information for such a report is correctly organized and stored quantitative and qualitative record of types and quantity of generated waste. Samples of documents available for the need of daily register of waste are described in the regulation of the Minister of Environment on templates of documents for the need of running a register.
A very important thing is the way of generating waste in the service, if it is generated inside or outside of an installation, and what type of waste and in what quantity is being generated. By installation in a garage we understand e.g. paint shop, oil removing machine and machine tools. Hazardous waste generated inside installation in quantity above 1 tone and non-hazardous waste generated inside installation in quantity above 5 tone require obtaining a permission for waste generation. Generating waste in lower quantity does not require obtaining permission. One also has to remember about selective storing of generated waste. Municipal waste cannot be mixed with industrial waste.
Water and sewage management system
In an automotive garage, situation which is the most often met is disposing industrial sewage to sewage system of a third party or to cesspool through a separator of petroleum derivative substances. Such an activity requires obtaining a special permission for discharging industrial sewage to sewage system of a third party. Industrial waste water in a garage means, e.g. waste water from washing vehicles and cleaning floors.
Requirement of obtaining a water-legal permission also applies to rainfall and thaw water from the premises of a garage, when they are being disposed to the environment, i.e. to a roadside ditch, river or any other water duct. So widely understood environmental protection is not only selective waste collection and recycling, but also planting trees or building environmentally friendly brand image. For a garage owner this is first and foremost delivering reports, applying for permissions (administrative decisions) and running register of waste in the company.
One must remember that above presented scope of responsibilities are just the basic list, and not the full scope. Each and every business can influence the environment in a different way, so it can mean more or less “environmental” duties. Entrepreneurs who register in BDO are given an individual registry number and are obliged to put it in all the documents which are connected with their business activity. Each of the companies is to put their registry number on documents connected with running business activity that is generating waste. One can also put this number on other documents connected with one’s business activity.
The regulations do not stipulate in what form the number is to be put on the documents. So it can be listed next to contact details of the business entity, e.g. Next to TAX ID or REGON number, or even be put on the company stamp, with which the company stamps its documents.
At the same time we would like to remind that on 24 January 2018 the Ministry of the Environment launched a register of companies which put on the market products and packed products and manage waste. It is a part of BDO system, i.e. database of products, packaging and waste management.
BDO register is the first element of integrated database of products and packaging and waste management (BDO). Besides that, there will also be modules which shall make it possible to run an electronic register of waste and sending reports on products and waste. Because of the above, trying to meet the expectations of our customers, we have launched possibility of ordering environmental protection services, which are available in BS BIO system. How does it look like in practice? A Customer not having an account in BS BIO should register using an application form at: www.bs.bio-service.pl/bio/rejestracja. Whilst Customer who already have a contract with Bio Service just need to log in to the BS BIO system and order a particular service. Each customer will be contacted by an Environmental Advisor, representing Seka S.A. company, regarding realization of ordered service.
Compulsory registration applies to:
Companies importing to the territory of the country oils, greases and tyres; Companies importing vehicles;
Companies dealing with disassembly and collection of vehicles;
Companies importing electric and electronic devices;
Companies importing batteries;
Companies introducing into the market packages and packed products; Companies generating waste, which are obliged to run full waste records.
In order to obtain more information in this matter, please contact Bio Service: www.bio-service.pl
Companies importing to the territory of the country oils, greases and tyres; Companies importing vehicles;
Companies dealing with disassembly and collection of vehicles;
Companies importing electric and electronic devices;
Companies importing batteries;
Companies introducing into the market packages and packed products; Companies generating waste, which are obliged to run full waste records.
In order to obtain more information in this matter, please contact Bio Service: www.bio-service.pl
