Who is affected by DIWASS? Entities required to register
Who is affected by DIWASS? This is the question many waste transport operators are asking themselves today. The new waste transport management system will cover transport companies, shippers and receivers, as well as intermediaries who organise or coordinate transport. They will all share responsibility for the legality of deliveries. Each entity should understand its role and verify basic information about the operation. All this to reduce the risk of problems during transport and during inspections.
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Every participant in the carriage matters. Contact us to find out what responsibilities DIWASS will cover in your case.
Justyna Blazewicz-Seredyn
Ewelina Nadolna
DIWASS and roles in waste transport
Waste transport is a multi-stage process. It usually involves several different actors: someone orders the delivery, someone else organises it, another actor undertakes the transport. Often there is also an intermediary.
DIWASS addresses precisely these roles. The system does not focus solely on the vehicle itself or the driver. Liability can also apply to those acting upstream or „in the background” of the transport.
This approach changes the way responsibilities are perceived. Participation in transport does not always mean physically carrying out the transport. It often also means organising or coordinating it.
Waste hauliers
Carriers are the first group naturally associated with DIWASS. These are the entities that physically carry out the transport and have the vehicles. They are the ones responsible for the shipment of waste between countries. Importantly, this includes hauliers from EU countries as well as those from outside the EU.
For DIWASS, the very fact of cross-border transport is crucial. The system is intended to cover real transport operations and not just formal declarations.
Shippers and receivers of waste
The second key group of actors covered by DIWASS are the shippers and receivers of waste. They are the ones who initiate the transport and close it on the organisational and formal side.
In practice, the shipper decides that the shipment takes place at all. It also determines its basic parameters, including the type of waste, the direction of the shipment and the documentation. The consignee, on the other hand, confirms receipt of the waste and is the final link in the whole operation.
Although shippers and consignees do not always carry out the transport themselves, their role in the process is crucial. DIWASS covers these actors because without their participation, the transport could not take place in a lawful manner.
Intermediaries and transport organisers
The third important group is the intermediaries, i.e. those who organise or coordinate the transport of waste. In practice, they are often the ones who connect the shipper with the carrier or are responsible for the logistical preparation of the shipment.
An intermediary may be involved in selecting a carrier, setting deadlines, coordinating documents or overseeing the transport process. Although he does not always act as the party physically performing the transport, his influence on the whole process can be very important.
DIWASS also takes this role into account, as it is at the stage of organising transport that ambiguities regarding responsibilities and duties most often arise. The system is intended to bring order to this area and make the relationship between transport participants more transparent.
Waste generators and waste management facilities - two key poles of the system
In the context of DIWASS, waste generators and waste management facilities, entities at opposite ends of the whole process, are also of particular importance. Although they are not always directly involved in the organisation of the shipment, their role is fundamental to the legality of the shipment.
The waste generator is responsible for the correct identification and classification of the waste. It is at this stage that the specific waste code is determined. The subsequent shipment procedure depends on this decision. Incorrect classification may result in the application of the wrong mode of shipment, for example Annex VII instead of the prior written notification and consent procedure, or vice versa.
The waste management facility, on the other hand, is the end point of the transport. It is responsible for the proper management of the waste in an environmentally sound manner and in accordance with its administrative decisions. Its participation in the process confirms that the shipment had a real purpose and ended at a place authorised to accept the type of waste in question.
Although the generator and the installation are at two opposite poles of the process, from the DIWASS point of view they are closely linked. The correct classification of waste at the beginning and the lawful management of waste at the end determine the legality of the entire operation. The DIWASS system is intended to organise information precisely between these points in order to reduce the risk of errors and irregularities further downstream.
Not everyone has the same responsibilities, but everyone should know them
There are no more or less important roles in DIWASS. Therefore, the answer to the question of who is involved in DIWASS boils down to a simple conclusion: every actor in a waste shipment matters for the legality of the whole operation. Each actor has a different function, but what matters in the system is the integrity of the shipment as a whole. For this reason, all participants have the same right to verify the other actors. In practice, they are also obliged to make use of this verification. It is this mechanism that builds up the transparency of the carriage and, at the same time, distributes responsibility over the entire transport chain.
If one element fails, the consequences can affect everyone. Sometimes all it takes is a minor error in data or documentation to trigger operational problems. This can mean clarifications and corrections and, in extreme cases, the suspension of transport or questioning of the legality of a shipment. That is why it is worth clearly defining your role now. Then it is good to implement a simple information verification procedure within the company. This will ensure that DIWASS does not become a barrier, but a tool that puts transports in order and reduces risk.