The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI)

1. The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) Bob Boyce - SEPA Senior Environmental Assessment Officer

2. Introduction • The background – what, why, who . . . • Business process and quality assessment • SPRI website

3. SPRI – What is it? The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) is a publicly accessible electronic database of releases of pollutants to all environmental media and transfers of waste that will: • deliver the system by which Scotland will comply with the requirements of a Community Regulation on the implementation of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register; • help facilitate discussion and public participation in environmental matters and decision making as required under the Aarhus Convention; • aid delivery of data for policy makers, academics and the public; • support the prevention and reduction of pollution; • allow comparison of releases within industry and with other types of releases in Scotland, the UK and Europe e.g. road traffic and domestic heating, where such data is available; and • provide generic information on the pollutants.

4. UN-PRTR, E-PRTR, IPPC • IPPC activities are the core • National registers can go beyond requirements for domestic purposes e.g. lower pollutant thresholds UNECE Protocol IPPC National register: e.g. Spain, France, Scotland, England E-PRTR

5. SPRI – What’s in it? • Started in 2002 • Based on IPPC but has wider remit with 67 activities covering 10 sectors; • Reporting obligation on operator; • EA and SEPA have common list of 215 pollutants, thresholds and activities relevant to the UK; • Mass emissions of 215 pollutants to air, water and land; • Off-site transfers and transboundary shipments of waste by weight; • Methodologies must be reported; • Data made publicly available; • 40% of SEPA sites will report to E-PRTR

6. Overview of reporting requirements

7. The operator above would report the following*: *Note: this report is for illustration only and does not represent actual releases.

8. Who reports - Sectors • energy; • production and processing of metals; • mineral industry; • chemical industry; • waste and waste water management; • paper and wood production and processing; • intensive livestock production and aquaculture; • animal and vegetable products from the food and beverage sector; • other activities; and • Nuclear installations (includes decommissioning) and all non-nuclear installations holding or using open radioactive sources and disposing of radioactive waste.

9. Breakdown of sites by sector - 2007 • Number of sites reporting Total: 1015 sites

10. Location of sites (1015) reporting in 2007

12. Guidance and tools Tools: • Landfill: ConSim leachate estimator tool and GasSim model for estimating landfill gas emissions (free “lite” versions available) • Waste water estimation tool (developed and funded by regulators and UK Water Industry) Guidance (available on website) • Landfills, waste treatment, transfer and storage and incineration • Combustion, petroleum, chemical • Food & drink, intensive farming • Cement & lime, quarrying and mining • Metals (ferrous and non ferrous) • Wood products, fish farms

20. Thank You! bob.boyce@sepa.org.uk SEPA – Edinburgh Office 0131 273 7242 www.sepa.org.uk/SPRI