Waste Management by Federal Facilities

The following pie chart shows the percentages of total TRI chemical waste managed through recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and disposal or other releases by federal government organizations in 2023. For more details on quantities released, toggle to the “Releases Only” graph.

• The types of waste reported by federal facilities vary by the type of operation. For example:
  • Department of Defense facilities include Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force bases, and other military establishments. The majority of TRI waste managed by these facilities come from the use of lead- or copper-containing ammunition used in firing ranges.
  • The Tennessee Valley Authority, a government-owned electric utility, provides power to southeastern states. 83% of its reported waste was hydrochloric and sulfuric acid aerosols, which were mostly treated on site.
  • The Department of the Treasury facilities reporting to TRI are mints for manufacturing currency and, accordingly, they report metals (e.g., copper and nickel) to TRI. Almost all their metal waste was recycled off site.

The following graph shows the percentages of TRI chemicals released by federal government organizations in 2023.

• Most of the Department of Defense’s releases were on-site releases of nitrate compounds to water and on-site land disposal of metals and metal compounds.
• The chemicals released by the Tennessee Valley Authority are similar to the chemicals released by other electric utilities that report to TRI. On-site land disposal of barium compounds and air releases of sulfuric acid make up a large portion of releases from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other electric utilities.