Do you run a car workshop?
Your focus is on professional customer service, but are you sure you have everything under control environmental obligations?
System BDO (Waste Database) is a key, and often overlooked, element of the legal operation of any workshop. Business owners often ask: Does the garage have to be in BDO?
The answer is: most often yes!
In this professional guide, created with you in mind, we explain step-by-step how to run a waste records at the workshop, which waste codes workshop will be used and how to flawlessly prepare the annual report.
Are you running a workshop and getting lost in the maze of regulations? Our comprehensive environmental consultancy is the key to your safety.
BDO car workshop registration - We dispel the myths. Do you really need to?
Running a garage in Poland is inevitably connected with the need to register with the Waste Database (BDO). This obligation stems directly from the fact that the activity
remediation is statutorily classified as generation of waste.
Facts:
- Obligation to register: Any garage, regardless of size, that generates any
waste (including hazardous waste, e.g. oils), must register in the BDO system as a waste generator. - The workshop is the generator of the waste: A workshop providing a maintenance service is considered a waste generator. This includes a wide range of materials such as used oils, filters, batteries, brake fluids, solvents, as well as rags and cleaners.
- Generation of hazardous waste: The workshop generates both non-hazardous waste,
as well as waste dangerous (e.g. used oils, operating fluids). The latter require particularly rigorous and documented management and disposal. - Records and reporting are required: The registered workshop must scrupulously maintain
electronic waste records, using the BDO system to issue Waste Transfer Cards (KPO).
Myths :
- „The waste belongs to the customer, so I don't have to register.” Even if the used part comes from a customer's car, the workshop (as the dismantler) is the legal producer of the waste and is responsible for its proper management, which requires registration with BDO.
- „I don't have enough waste to make it important.” The obligation to register often does not depend on the amount of waste generated, especially when it relates to hazardous waste categories. Even small quantities of such waste require registration and record-keeping.
- „I have an unregistered business, so BDO does not apply to me.” The obligation to register with BDO is closely linked to the very fact of waste generation. If an unregistered activity generates waste,
which are subject to registration, the obligation to register remains in place.
What waste puts your workshop in the light of the law?
Mechanical workshops, by the nature of their business, generate waste that is classified as problematic
and dangerous:
- Engine and hydraulic oils and lubricants (hazardous waste, e.g. code 13 02 05*).
- Used filters (oil, fuel - often hazardous, e.g. 16 01 07*).
- Accumulators, batteries (e.g. 16 06 01*).
- Used tyres (tyre disposal) (code 16 01 03 - non-hazardous waste).
- Cleaners, absorbents contaminated with hazardous substances (e.g. 15 02 02*).
- Metal scrap (16 01 17).
Precise knowledge and use of appropriate waste codes workshop is the first and most important step
for professional record-keeping.
Workshop waste records -
maintenance of Waste Transfer Cards (KPO).
The correct registration of waste in the BDO system is based on electronic documentation all waste management operations by the waste holder, excluding those using simplified records. The key documents are Waste Transfer Note (KPO) and Waste Inventory Card (KEO).
KPO - digital security document.
A Waste Transfer Note (KPO) is a document issued to only electronically in the BDO system before the waste is transferred to a specialist company. It provides irrefutable proof that:
- Waste has left your workshop.
- They were handed over to an authorised operator who will ensure their safe transport and management.
Remember! If you produce small amounts of waste, you can use simplified record-keeping, however the obligation to register with BDO remains. Find out more: BDO simplified waste records.
Mandatory BDO report on waste generated -.
How to avoid penalties?
The annual report is a summary of your entire annual effort in the BDO system. It is a key duty to close the financial year.
Deadline, form and content of the annual report
The obligation to submit an annual BDO reports on waste generated applies to each registered workshop and must be carried out by 15 March for the previous year.
- Form: Electronic only - via the BDO system.
- Content: You must demonstrate the exact quantities and types of the generated, transferred
and possibly stored waste. - Objective: Verification that the actual amount of waste transferred is consistent with the annual records.
Professional and timely reporting is your insurance policy against inspections and sanctions.
Optimise your company's waste handling and gain time
Don't let environmental administration distract you from the most important thing - car repairs and customer service. Understanding, what waste is generated by the mechanical workshop and how to manage them effectively,
is the key to success.
Investing in professional advice is often the best solution. Instead of spending hours verifying workshop waste codes and filling out paperwork, you can outsource this task to the experts. Give your workshop legal peace of mind and focus on growing your business. Want to know more? Check out: Waste management in the company.
