&EPA TRI Pollution Prevention (P2) Data Overview The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program collects information on industry progress in implementing source reduction activities, reducing chemical wastes generated, and moving towards preferred waste management methods. With tens of thousands of narratives submitted over the years, TRI has grown into a robust resource for helping to evaluate and improve environmental performance. These narratives provide details that may assist others in identifying opportunities to eliminate or reduce chemical waste generation. To illustrate, the maps below show the increase from 2008 to 2018 in the percentage of forms with P2-related narratives. Source Reduction Activities (Form R, Section 8.10) • Source reduction means eliminating or reducing the creation of chemical waste. • Facilities are required to report their newly implemented source reduction activities each year by selecting codes on the TRI Form R. The 49 TRI source reduction codes fall into the 8 source reduction categories shown in the pie chart. Good Operating Practices and Process Modifications are consistently the most commonly reported source reduction categories. Newly Implemented Source Reduction Activities, 2011-2018 2018 2008 P2 Narratives by State Optional P2 Narratives (Form R, Section 8.11) Facilities reporting to TRI may also submit optional narrative text to describe their P2-related activities, including source reduction activities, other waste management practices, and barriers to P2. From 2011 to 2018, facilities submitted 83,000 P2-related narratives with about 34,000 of those related to source reduction, 18,000 on other environmental practices, and 31,000 on barriers to implementing P2. P2 Narratives by Category 4,338 4,519 5,222 3,173 3,291 5,667 4,435 3,590 0 4,000 8,000 12,000 16,000 Number of P2 Narratives ¦ Source Reduction ¦ Other Environmental Practices ¦H Barriers to P2 Not P2-Related A Learn more about the TRI Program at: www.epa.gov/tri ------- vvEPA TRI Pollution Prevention (P2) Data Overview By providing access to the P2-related narratives submitted to TRI, EPA encourages facilities to share details of P2 best practices so others can replicate these approaches and, similarly, describe obstacles to implementing P2 to help EPA identify technical assistance opportunities. P2 narratives range from vague to detailed in terms of how much optional information the facility provides. Overall, the information is useful and to illustrate the availability of relevant information, the graphics below show the distribution of narratives by chemical categories and industry sectors. P2 Narratives Quick Facts TRI facilities reported 34,000 source reduction narratives from 2011 to 2018. Facilities submitted another 49,000 narratives on preferred waste management methods or barriers to P2 from 2011 to 2018. Source Reduction by Chemical Source reduction narratives are available for 52% of the 551 chemicals reported to TRI from 2011 to 2018. The number of chemicals in each of the categories shown in this graph varies, but each category has many available source reduction text entries. For example, for the OSHA carcinogens, there are about 10,000 source reduction entries. Text entries about other environmental practices (e.g., recycling) and barriers are available for an additional 30 chemicals reported to TRI. Source Reduction Narratives by Chemical Category, 2011-2018 28,000 24,000 20,000 16,000 12,000 8,000 4,000 0 I I I PBT Chemicals OSHA Carcinogens Metals and Metal Compounds TSCA Work Plan Chemicals Hazardous Air Pollutants Source Reduction Narratives by Industry, 2011-2018 Source Reduction by Industry Half of the industry sectors that report to TRI have at least 500 source reduction narratives for 2011 to 2018, and all sectors except Apparel have some source reduction information. In general, source reduction text reporting is higher among manufacturing sectors, which tend to have greater opportunities for source reduction. The figure to the right shows the rate of source reduction text entry reporting for sectors with a rate greater than five percent. Accessing TRI's P2 Data The TRI P2 Search Tool is the most effective way to access the P2 data reported to TRI. By searching for a particular geographic area, industry, chemical, or year, the tool can be used to learn about the P2 practices associated with a facility and any optional narratives submitted. You may also use the tool to compare waste management methods at the facility and company level. For visualizations and more interactive data analysis, explore the TRI P2 data using the TRI P2 Industry Profile Dashboard. For more information, visit TRI's P2 webpage. A Learn more about TRI's P2 information and the P2 tool at: ,epa.eov/tri/p2 ------- |