Pollution Prevention (P2) and TRI
Learn about source reduction impactsUnder the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA), the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program collects information to track industry progress in reducing waste generation and moving towards safer waste management alternatives. Many facilities provide descriptions of measures they have taken to prevent pollution and reduce the amount of toxic chemicals entering the environment. As a result, TRI serves as a tool for identifying effective environmental practices and highlighting pollution prevention successes.
The Waste Management Hierarchy
The PPA calls for pollution to be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible and released to the environment only as a last resort.
- Learn about these terms
- Source Reduction includes activities that eliminate or reduce the generation of chemical waste.
- Recycling includes the recovery of a toxic chemical in waste for reuse.
- Energy Recovery includes the combustion of toxic chemicals in waste to generate heat or electricity.
- Treatment includes the destruction of a toxic chemical in waste.
- Disposal or Other Releases includes toxic chemical quantities entering the environment.
Access TRI's P2 Data
- Use the TRI P2 Search Tool to get info by industry sector, chemical, geography or parent company, and compare environmental performance.
- Use the Industry Profile Dashboard to explore TRI information for a particular industry, including the food, automotive and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.
- Download Excel files of all TRI P2 data for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, or 2011.
Learn About TRI P2 Resources
- Browse TRI's collection of P2 resources, including factsheets, videos, tips for reporting P2 activities to TRI, how-to guidance for conducting analyse.s with the TRI P2 Search Tool, and links to P2-related publications.
- Browse the TRI P2 Spotlights and find possible alternative solutions for TRI chemicals.
- Learn about other P2 resources such as EPA’s P2 Program and EPA's Sustainability Program and EPA efforts to achieve sustainable food management
Source Reduction Activities Reported to TRI
For 2016, a total of 2,306 facilities (11% of all TRI facilities) reported initiating 5,868 source reduction activities. Good operating practices, process modifications, and spill and leak prevention were the activities reported most frequently. Click on the legend or graph to see examples of source reduction activities; reported codes are included in parentheses.
Good Operating Practices
Examples:
- A hose manufacturer improved the recovery process for scrap hose from 50% recovery (by weight) to 75%. (W19)
- Changeovers were sequenced to reduce the need to perform a clean-up at a plastics film manufacturing facility. This reduces the amount of cleaning solution used in the process as well as the waste generated. (W14)
Process Modifications
Examples:
- A gravure printing facility reduced glycol ether air emissions by replacing one solvent-based ink printer containing 90% glycol ether compounds with a UV ink printer containing little or no glycol ethers. (W58)
- An aircraft manufacturer added valves to allow separation of contaminated TCE from clean TCE, which allows longer use of the remaining TCE. (W52)
Spill and Leak Prevention
Examples:
- An automotive parts manufacturer installed high level alarms and shut offs which reduced the number of times a manganese bath required draining/cleaning for quality purposes. (W33)
- A paint and coating facility surveyed the plant for spill elimination opportunities and implemented corrective actions. (W39)
Raw Material Modifications
Examples:
- An aircraft manufacturing facility switched from a nitric acid solution tank to a new mixture that requires replacement annually versus the previous semi-annual replacement. (W43)
- A resins manufacturer changed from using antimony trioxide powder to propylene pellets with antimony trioxide incorporated into the pellet resulting in less waste than the powder. (W49)
Inventory Control
Examples:
- Shelf-life and aged inventory monitoring is now in place at a waterproofing products facility, and slow moving products are being evaluated based on performance. (W21)
- A chemical manufacturing facility switched from ordering bulk tankers of material to only ordering prefilled drums as needed. This change eliminated a large amount of waste produced from line, hose and filter flush. (W29)
Product Modifications
Examples:
- By no longer using zinc metal with lead, lead levels in a coating facility's galvanizing bath have slowly been reduced. (W82)
- A chemical manufacturer changed specifications for incoming raw material to limit formaldehyde emissions. (W81)
Surface Preparation and Finishing
Examples:
- A plating facility reduced its nitric acid usage by developing new processes to clean and pre-treat materials prior to plating. These new processes reduce the amount of nitric acid used or eliminate it completely. (W78)
- A office furniture manufacturer changed from solvent borne coating to powder coat in 2016 to reduce formaldehyde releases. Formaldehyde was a by-product from the cross-link process in the solvent borne coating. (W73)
Cleaning and Degreasing
Examples:
- A paint and coating manufacturing facility began using a technique to drain drums longer and reuse material back into batches. The facility also began rinsing with material that could be used in the next batch. (W64)
- By implementing a different filtration system, an aerospace parts manufacturing facility eliminated the need to frequently remove tank contents due to contaminates, reducing hydrogen fluoride and nitric acid waste. (W59)
See more on source reduction activities reported to TRI in the TRI National Analysis