On 9 November 2009 the European Commission and the European Environment Agency launched the new, comprehensive European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).

The register contains information about the emissions of pollutants to air, water and land by industrial facilities throughout Europe in 2007. It includes annual data for 91 substances and covers more than 24 000 facilities in 65 economic activities. The information in the register covers 30% of total nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions (i.e. most emissions from sources other than transport) and 76% of total sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions to air in the EU-27 countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The website has a search engine that allows visitors to browse using one or more criteria and a map tool. For example, visitors can search the amount of hazardous and non-hazardous waste transferred from facilities in a country (waste search), or releases from a specific industrial site by name or location (facility search).

Some information that can be obtained is for example, the following:

• Often a small number of facilities make large overall contributions to the total amount of pollutants released in Europe. For instance, just five large combustion plants were collectively responsible for more than 20% of all E-PRTR SOx emissions to air in 2007. Sulphur oxides contribute to both environmental acidification and the formation of health-damaging particulate matter.
• More than 54 million tonnes of hazardous waste were transferred from E-PRTR facilities. Most hazardous waste is recovered or disposed within the country where it originates; just a small fraction of it (approximately 6%) is transported across borders.

From 2010 onwards, the information in E-PRTR will be updated in April each year.

Further information:

• Original source - Europa, Press Release Rapid, Website
• European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)