Section 3: Source Reduction/Pollution Prevention

Industry Sectors with the Largest Percentage Decrease in Releases

This figure shows the sectors with the greatest percentage decrease in releases from 2010 to 2013. For many sectors, source reduction activities, which reduce or eliminate waste generation at its source, have contributed to substantial decreases in both the amount of waste generated and the amount released. In other cases, pollution controls (e.g., scrubbers) have reduced releases but do not affect waste management totals, because chemicals that are treated or recycled instead of being released are still included in the total waste managed quantity. Improved pollution control techniques may thus explain why releases declined at an even faster rate than overall waste generation for four of the five industries shown above. Other factors, such as reduced production, can also contribute to decreases in both releases and overall waste generation.

Source reduction activities reported by these five industries are discussed further in the next figure.

This page was published in January 2015 and uses the 2013 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2014.