Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

What is TRI?  By Federal law, companies that use more than a certain minimum amount (the "threshold") of any of a long list of toxic chemicals are required to submit a Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) Form (also known as Form R). Every company in the country has the same filing deadline, July 1, covering the preceding calendar year. Forms are submitted directly to EPA, and to designated state agencies.

TRI reporting is a two-step process.

First, you need to determine whether you are required to submit a Form R. Your company is subject to reporting if it meets two criteria:

Then, for each listed chemical you use above threshold quantities, you will need to report on the Form R how much of the chemical you have "released", and where it went.   In the TRI definition, "releases" include not only emitting listed chemicals into the environment, but also sending materials containing listed chemicals off-site for recycling or disposal. You are also asked to report on chemicals that you recycle internally. The purpose is to provide a picture of how you manage your waste.

Note that there are two quantities that matter for each chemical.

• The amount of each chemical that you "manufactured, processed, or otherwise used" determines whether you are required to file a report.

The amount of each chemical that you "released" is the amount that actually gets reported.

Lead and TRI Reporting. This report, prepared by the STERC staff, provides TRI compliance guidance focusing on the new lead threshold. The document will be updated as necessary.

TRI Ask the Expert Archive.The TRI ATE feature is no longer available on STERC. However, you can access past answers to TRI questions.

EPA TRI Resources and Guidance Documents