Checks all over the country. The guards will see what we smoke in the furnaces and fireplaces

The heating period is full, and everywhere in Poland intensive inspections of the guards of the place, who check precisely what we heat our homes. Unfortunately, there are inactive situations where not only typical heating materials, but besides waste, plastic bottles, varnished furniture plates and even utilized oil, are found in the furnaces. More and more cases are being signalled erstwhile neighbors study black smoke from chimneys in the area. The burning of toxic substances is subject to a crucial fine.

Sławomir Smyk, elder Inspector of the City defender in Warsaw, emphasized in an interview with money.pl that although advancement resulting from both information campaigns and financial support to replace obsolete heating equipment, the way to accomplish the perfect situation is inactive long. Checks frequently uncover cases of people who inactive usage obsolete boilers, in local jargons called ‘diggers’, though they should be withdrawn from usage long ago.

Recently, the guards have had to intervene many times, including in the case of a carpenter from Białołęka. The entrepreneur heated his workshops by burning fragments of painted furniture plates in an old boiler. Emissions of toxic substances from the furnace threatened the full area, but for the owner of the company mainly mattered to savings, despite possible risks to the wellness of residents. specified incidents have occurred, even though more and more people are aware of the request to usage greener and safer heating methods. So are there more severe penalties needed to discourage the usage of specified dangerous practices?

In addition to standard waste, different materials specified as laminated wood, particle board or various types of plastics frequently go to furnaces. This is not only a problem in the case of homes, but besides affects industrial property, where even utilized oil is burned.

Controls to check the kind of fire utilized shall be carried out by the municipal authorities or municipal officials, or even with the support of the police. These can be both residential and commercial homes. The owner is obliged to let the services to carry out inspections. Otherwise, he is in danger of a serious breach of the Criminal Code, namely Article 225(1) which states that ‘a individual who prevents or impedes the conduct of environmental controls or a individual assisting him or her in the performance of their duties shall be subject to imprisonment of up to 3 years’.

For waste smoking, a fine is threatened

Drones are increasingly utilized during inspections. These flying devices are now an indispensable tool to aid track illegal emissions. The drones equipped with peculiar equipment collect air samples which are then analysed for possible irregularities. If problems are detected, the control can scope the owner's home directly.

However, things don't look good with these checks. Their numbers fell and municipal workers became more indulgent, frequently issuing symbolic credentials. Fortunately, the situation with the burning of waste is comparatively good, but only with the exception of Warsaw, where all violations of the regulations are severely punished – says Piotr Sergei, spokesperson for the Polish Smog Alarm, in a conversation with the portal.

The PAS study shows that where the city defender operates, the reports are much more numerous. In Mazowsze there are more than 4 times more applications compared to municipalities without guards. In Małopolska, only 5% of proven cases end in the detection of offences, and in municipalities without guards it is only 2%. In 2022, as much as 38% of the violations in the municipalities without defender remained without any penalties, while in the municipalities with the presence of defender the percent was 26%.

For burning waste in the oven, a fine of up to PLN 500 is threatened. In the case of deliberate and gross infringement, it is besides possible to mention the case to a court where the fine can scope up to PLN 5000. Nevertheless, the average mandate is only PLN 200.