UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
The UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (UK-PRTR) Legislation aims to both enhance public access to environmental information and help to prevent and reduce pollution by delivering data for policy makers and facilitating public participation in environmental decision-making.
This page provides a summary of the UK-PRTR and how it fits with SPRI.
What is the UK-PRTR?
The UK-PRTR is a dataset that provides detailed information about pollution emissions from industrial sites and other designated sources across the United Kingdom.
It implements the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Kiev Protocol which makes this information publicly available and free of charge. It also meets the legal requirements of the UN-ECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers following the UK exit from the EU.
To access the register or for more information, visit the UK-PRTR Government webpage.
How does it differ from SPRI?
UK-PRTR is a subset of SPRI. The key differences are:
- SPRI includes more pollutants (110 vs. 91)
- SPRI has lower thresholds, capturing 90% of Scottish industrial emission releases.
- SPRI includes more activities, such as smaller-scale operations like urban wastewater treatment.
This makes SPRI relevant to Scotland and helps put Scottish releases into context with industrial releases from the rest of the UK and Europe.
Who needs to report?
Operators are required to report detailed information about pollution emissions from their industrial sites or other designated sources if:
- The activity is listed in Annex I of the UK-PRTR legislation
- The capacity threshold for that activity is exceeded.
- The pollutant release or transfer threshold (Annex II) is also exceeded
Annex I lists 65 activities grouped into 9 activity 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
What needs to be reported?
If your facility carries out an activity listed in Annex I of the UK-PRTR legislation and exceeds the specified capacity threshold, you must report the following:
- Releases of pollutants to air, water, or land
- Off-site transfers of:
- Pollutants in wastewater destined for treatment
- Hazardous waste (≥ 2 tonnes per year)
- Non-hazardous waste (≥ 2,000 tonnes per year)
To determine if reporting is required, you must also check whether the pollutant-specific thresholds listed in Annex II are exceeded. Annex II includes 91 pollutants, each with a defined threshold and CAS number. Reporting is required only when:
- The activity is listed in Annex I,
- The capacity threshold for that activity is exceeded, and
- The relevant pollutant or waste threshold is also exceeded.