SEPA revamps public pollution inventory website

The SPRI makes public details of emissions and waste transfers by SEPA-regulated businesses, fulfilling the requirements of the EU pollutant release and transfer register Regulation.

A more user-friendly search facility was added in late January to allow users to look for businesses by company name, industry sector, pollutant released, waste transferred and location. An interactive map of all SEPA-regulated sites has also been added.

The inventory is now more flexible than the Environment Agency’s equivalent, which only allows access to data by location. Its flexibility was downgraded in 2005 and has never been restored, despite promises (ENDS Reports 379, p 21 ).

Information on SEPA’s site has been updated to include data for 2007. Analysis of the new data has revealed carbon dioxide emissions declined by 9% compared with 2006.

Brian Healey, who chairs the SPRI Management Group, said: "This is good news given that Scotland and the UK are committed to reducing CO₂ emissions. However, since SPRI started in 2004 there has been no overall change in emissions."