National Pollutant Release Inventory: regional synopsis for the Atlantic provinces, chapter 5
Off-site Transfers for Disposal
- Industrial Sectors Reporting the Largest Off-site Transfers for Disposal of NPRI Pollutants
- Top Twenty-five NPRI Pollutants Transferred Off-site for Disposal in the Largest Quantities in the Atlantic Provinces (Values in Tonnes)
The NPRI defines an off-site transfer for disposal as a shipment of a listed pollutant to an off-site location. The material may be destined for final disposal or treatment prior to final disposal.
The NPRI requires that only the quantity of the listed pollutant in the waste be reported. Waste materials such as sludge are often a mixture of many compounds associated with water and inert material.
Off-site treatment does not necessarily constitute an environmental release because the pollutant may be altered chemically or physically, and may not be ultimately released in its original form. In addition, the final disposal methods may have different environmental impacts, depending on the disposal site, treatment type and pollutant.
Transfers for disposal exclude substances sent for recycling or recovery. However, transfers for disposal are reported under the following categories:
Treatment:
- Physical treatment such as encapsulation and vitrification
- Chemical treatment such as stabilization and neutralization
- Biological treatment such as biooxidation
- Municipal sewage treatment
Land:
- Containment in a landfill
- Land application or land farming
Other:
- Incineration or thermal treatment where energy is not recovered
- Containment in other storage
Top Twenty-five NPRI Pollutants Transferred Off-site for Disposal in the Largest Quantities in the Atlantic Provinces (Values in Tonnes)
The twenty-five NPRI pollutants transferred off-site for disposal in the largest quantities originating from facilities in the Atlantic Provinces are shown below. These transfers include disposals at off-site facilities outside of Atlantic Canada. Pollutants classified as CEPA-toxic or carcinogenic accounted for 5% of the off-site transfers for disposal.
| Substance (Number of Transfer Reports) |
Treatment | Land | Other | Total | Change From 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manganese and its compounds (7) | 0.0 | 376.7 | 0.0 | 376.7 | + 5% |
| Lead and its compounds (1) T | 0.0 | 286.0 | 0.0 | 286.0 | + 2% |
| Ethylene glycol (5) | 215.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 215.3 | + 46% |
| Toluene (4) | 0.1 | 67.5 | 102.1 | 169.6 | + 67% |
| Zinc and its compounds (8) | 0.0 | 135.8 | 0.0 | 135.8 | + 6% |
| Cadmium and its compounds (1) T | 0.0 | 77.0 | 0.0 | 77.0 | + 72% |
| Arsenic and its compounds (6) T | 0.0 | 68.0 | 0.0 | 68.0 | + 7% |
| Aluminum oxide - fibrous forms (3) | 0.0 | 60.7 | 0.0 | 60.7 | + 4% |
| Sulphuric acid (1) | 60.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 60.0 | -- |
| Methanol (5) | 17.3 | 2.3 | 38.6 | 58.2 | - 4% |
| Nickel and its compounds (5) T | 0.0 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 56.3 | + 18% |
| Methyl ethyl ketone (2) | 0.0 | 25.2 | 11.3 | 36.5 | > 100% |
| Asbestos - friable form (2) T | 0.0 | 36.3 | 0.0 | 36.3 | - 67% |
| Chromium and its compounds (5)T | 0.0 | 35.9 | 0.0 | 35.9 | - 40% |
| Nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether (1) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | - 61% |
| Tetrachloroethylene (1) T | 0.0 | 0.0 | 18.4 | 18.4 | - 57% |
| Formaldehyde (3) T | 0.0 | 15.3 | 0.9 | 16.2 | - 2% |
| n-Hexane (2) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 15.8 | 15.9 | - 23% |
| Copper and its compounds (6) | 0.0 | 14.1 | 0.0 | 14.1 | - 9% |
| Dichloromethane (1) T | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.6 | 12.6 | - 12% |
| Trichloroethylene (1) T | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | + 54% |
| Phenol and its salts (1) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | - 70% |
| Ammonia - Total (3) | 0.0 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | - 71% |
| Hydrochloric acid (2) | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | + 74% |
| Mercury and its compounds (8) T | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | NA |
T denotes CEPA-toxic or carcinogenic pollutant
> denotes greater than
NA denotes Not Applicable
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