The following graph shows the annual quantities of toxic chemical released by the metal mining industry.

From 2005 to 2015:

• More than 99% of the metal mining sector’s releases were on-site land disposal. On-site land disposal by metal mines has fluctuated in recent years, increasing significantly in 2013 and then decreasing in 2014 and 2015.
• Several mines have reported that changes in production and changes in the chemical composition of the deposit being mined are the primary causes of fluctuations in the amount of chemicals reported.
• Metal mining facilities typically handle large volumes of material, and even a small change in the chemical composition of the deposit being mined can lead to big changes in the amount of toxic chemicals reported nationally.

In 2015:

• The metal mining sector reported the largest quantity of total disposal or other releases, accounting for 37% of total releases and 61% of on-site land disposal for all industries.

Source Reduction in the Metal Mining Sector:

Six of the 86 facilities initiated source reduction activities in 2015 to reduce their toxic chemical use and waste generation. Toxic chemical quantities reported by this sector are not especially amenable to source reduction, because they primarily reflect the natural composition of the ore and waste rock. The most commonly reported source reduction activity was good operating practices, which includes activities such as improving maintenance scheduling, recordkeeping, or procedures. TRI’s Pollution Prevention Search Tool can help you learn more about pollution prevention opportunities in this sector.

Next section

This page was published in January 2017 and uses the 2015 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2016.

Top of Page