1. Pollutant Release and
Transfer Registers (PRTR) as
tools to access
environmental information
May 2013

2. What is a PRTR? 2
Central database
Storage
+
management
+
validation
of data
Data
dissemination

3. Benefits of a PRTR 3
GOVERNMENT
Increases
efficiency and
capacities

4. 4

5. Benefits of a PRTR 5
GOVERNMENT
Increases
efficiency and
capacities
CIVIL
SOCIETY
Empowers

6. 6

7. Benefits of a PRTR 7
GOVERNMENT
Increases
efficiency and
capacities
CIVIL
SOCIETY
Empowers
INDUSTRY
Involves

8. 8

9. Benefits of a PRTR
Reporting by priority productive activities such as:
Energy sector
Production and processing of metals
Mineral industry
Chemical industry
Waste and waste-water management
Paper and timber production and processing
Intensive livestock production and aquaculture
Animal and vegetable products from the food and
beverage sector
9

10. PRTR international context
1992
2001
2002
2006
* OECD Task Force on PRTRs (2002)
* PRTR International Coordinating Group (2005)
2009

11. 11

12. 12
PRTR Capacity-building - UNITAR
ASIA LATIN
AMERICA
EASTERN
EUROPE
Cambodia
Ecuador
Panama
Central
America
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Ukraine
Peru
Azerbaijan
Mongolia

13. Establishment of
PRTRs under FOI
13

14. At international level:
Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in
Environmental Matters
Article 5 obliges Governments to provide for:
Immediate dissemination of information in cases of
imminent threat to health and environment
State of environment reports
Pollutants releases and transfers (“to establish
progressively a coherent national system of pollution
inventories or registers on a computerized and publicly
accesible database”)
PRTR Protocol
14
Legal basis for a PRTR and FOI

15. “This Regulation establishes an
integrated pollutant release and
transfer register at Community level
in the form of a publicly accessible
electronic database and lays down
rules for its functioning, in order to
implement the UNECE Protocol on
Pollutant Release and Transfer
Registers and facilitate public
participation in environmental
decision-making, as well as
contributing to the prevention and
reduction of pollution of the
environment”.
“Access to information provided by
the European PRTR should be
unrestricted and exceptions from this
rule should only be possible where
explicitly granted by existing
Community Legislation”.
15
Some examples - legal basis for a PRTR
European Union

16. “The Swiss Federal Council, based on
Article 46 paragraph2 of the Federal
Act of 7 October 1983 on the
Protection of the Environment (EPA),
ordains:
…This Ordinance is intended to
guarantee public access to
information on pollutant release and
the transfer of waste and of
pollutants in waste water by means
of a register.”
“Access, in particular via the
internet, to information contained in
the PRTR shall be guaranteed for a
minimum of then years from the
date of its electronic publication, in
particular on the internet.”
16
Switzerland
Some examples - legal basis for a PRTR

17. “A database to be known as the
National Pollutant Inventory will be
established to:
(a)Provide information to enhance and
facilitate policy formulation and
decision making for environmental
planning and management;
(b)Provide publicly accesible and
available information, on a
geographic basis, about specified
emissions to the environment,
including those of a hazardous
nature or involving significant
impact; and
(c)Promote and assist with the
facilitation of waste minimisation and
cleaner production programmes for
industry, government and the
community.”
17
Australia
Some examples - legal basis for a PRTR

18. “The Minister shall:
…publish, arrange for the publication
of or distribute through an information
clearinghouse:
(i) information respecting pollution
prevention,
(i) pertinent information in respect of
all aspects of environmental quality,
and
(ii) a periodic report on the state of
the Canadian environment.”
18
Canada
Some examples - legal basis for a PRTR

19. Presenting data
19

20. Database with “search” option 20
*Source: CEC Taking Stock, http://www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=751&ContentID=&SiteNodeID=1097&BL_ExpandID=&AA_SiteLanguageID=1

21. Database with “search” option 21
Selection
by year
Selection by
facility
Selection by
location
Selection by
activity
*Source: Swiss PRTR, http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/prtr/index.html?lang=en

22. Database with “search” option 22
*Source: Swiss PRTR, http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/prtr/index.html?lang=en

23. Geographic Information System (GIS) 23
*Source: Swiss PRTR, http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/prtr/index.html?lang=en

24. Geographic Information System (GIS) 24
*Source: Swiss PRTR, http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/prtr/index.html?lang=en

25. Geographic Information System (GIS) 25
*Source: CEC Taking Stock, http://www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=751&ContentID=&SiteNodeID=1097&BL_ExpandID=&AA_SiteLanguageID=1

26. Trend graphs 26
*Source: Norweigan PRTR, http://www.norskeutslipp.no/Templates/NorskeUtslipp/Pages/sektor.aspx?id=34&epslanguage=en

27. Trend graphs 27
*Source: Spanish PRTR, http://www.en.prtr-es.es/

28. Ranking 28
*Source: CEC Taking Stock, http://www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=751&ContentID=&SiteNodeID=1097&BL_ExpandID=&AA_SiteLanguageID=1

29. 29UNITAR PRTR design/implementation package
Updated guidance
document
New guidance on legal
consdierations
Online reporting model
PRTR:Learn
ENGLISH, RUSSIAN, SPANISH
2013

30. Thank you for your attention!
vera.barrantes@unitar.org
More information and links to
existent PRTRs in different countries
can be found in
http://prtr.unitar.org