Transport is a crucial operation for the management of ELVs since, when carried out under deficient conditions, it can restrain or even preclude the necessary subsequent operations of depollution/dismantling.
National Transport
It is forbidden to make changes to the physical form of ELVs during loading, transport and/or unloading, namely:
• By means of the use of metal grapples for loading/unloading operations – as an alternative, forklifts, belts or winches, or other equivalent methods, should be used;
• By the direct overlapping of ELVs on the decks – as an alternative, a system of separation between layers should be used.
Therefore, aiming to minimize the occurrence of damage, ELV transport should preferably be carried out using breakdown vehicles or car carrier trailers.
The transport of hulks from dismantling centres is accompanied by a copy of the respective Certificate of Destruction or a single document that contains information relating to them, namely the vehicle registration, chassis number and the number of the respective Certificate of Destruction.
In addition to these specific guidelines, the transport of ELVs and their components/materials must also comply with the regulations foreseen in Decree no. 145/2017 on the transport of waste.
International Transport
In the cases in which ELVs and their components/materials are exported/imported, it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that there are specific rules for the transboundary movement of waste – Regulation (EC) no. 1013/2006, Decree Law no. 45/2008 and Decree no. 242/2008.
This legislation establishes the procedures and control systems according to the origin, destination and route of the transfers, the type of waste (green, amber and red lists) and the type of treatment to which the waste will be subject at its destination (disposal/recovery). The Portuguese Environment Protection Agency is the national competent authority on this issue.