Land Disposal
Facilities report the quantities of TRI chemical waste disposed of in landfills, underground injection wells, surface impoundments, and other types of containment. Land disposal of chemicals is often regulated by EPA under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
This graph shows the 10-year trend in on-site land disposal of TRI chemicals.
Note: 1) The "All Other Land Disposal" category in the figure includes spills and leaks to land, waste rock piles at metal mines, and application of waste to land (such as in agricultural fertilizer). 2) This chart excludes natural gas processing facilities which were not required to report to TRI prior to 2022.
From 2014 to 2023:
- On-site land disposal has fluctuated, driven by changes from metal mines.
- The metal mining sector accounted for most of this land disposal each year.
Land releases from metal mines:
In 2023, the metal mining sector accounted for 66% of total land disposal quantities. Select the “Land Disposal, Excluding Metal Mining” button to view the land disposal trend without data from metal mines.
- The TRI chemicals disposed to land by metal mines in 2023 were primarily lead (43%), zinc (31%), and arsenic (8%).
- Metal mining facilities typically handle large volumes of material. Changes in the chemical composition of extracted ore can result in large fluctuations in quantities of TRI chemicals managed in waste.
- For more information on the mining industry, see the "Explore a Metal Mine" webpage.
The following graph shows the 10-year trend in on-site land disposal, excluding quantities reported by the metal mining sector.
Note: This chart also excludes natural gas processing facilities which were not required to report to TRI prior to 2022.
From 2014 to 2023:
- Total on-site land disposal for all industries other than metal mining was relatively steady from 2014 to 2018. Reductions in land disposal since 2018 were driven by chemical manufacturers and electric utilities.
From 2022 to 2023:
- Excluding the quantities of TRI chemicals disposed to land by metal mines, the chemicals disposed of on site to land in the largest quantities were: hydrogen sulfide (24%), zinc (11%), barium (11%), and manganese (8%).
- Excluding metal mines, most on-site land disposal was reported by the natural gas processing, chemical manufacturing, and primary metals sectors.
This page was published in August 2025 and uses the 2023 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2024.