Actual Reduction in Production-Related Waste from Source Reduction in the 2015 TRI National Analysis
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The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program looked at what facilities estimated would be their reduction in chemical waste based on their source reduction activities from the 2014 TRI data and compared it to their actual waste management quantities in the 2015 data.
Almost half of facilities that reported a newly implemented source reduction activity in 2014 also estimated the resulting waste reduction for the following year. This figure shows the actual reduction facilities reported in 2015, normalized by production, compared to the estimated reduction in chemical waste managed reported in 2014.
From 2014 to 2015:
- For 50% of source reduction activities, facilities successfully reduced waste within the estimated range reported OR reduced waste more than estimated.
- For 10% of source reduction activities, facilities successfully reduced their waste, but less than estimated.
- For 38% of source reduction activities, not only did facilities not meet their estimated reduction but they also increased their waste in 2015.
Example of pollution prevention information related to estimating waste reduction:
- An electronic connector manufacturer made improvements to its processes in 2014 that use product (lead) more efficiently and estimated a reduction in lead compound waste by 10%. In 2015, they reported a reduction of 25% in production-related waste (normalized for production). [Click to view facility details in the Pollution Prevention (P2) Tool]
This page was published in January 2017 and uses the 2015 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2016.