National Pollutant Inventory

​​​​​​​​​The National Pollut​​ant Inventory (NPI) is a publicly accessible internet database designed to provide the community, industry and government with information on emissions to air, land and water for the NPI listed substances and transfers of NPI substances in waste, from industrial facilities. There are 93 substances listed in the NPI. These substances have been identified as important due to their possible effect on human health and the environment.

The NPI is a Commonwealth Government initiative, however, each State and Territory is responsible for implementing the program. In Tasmania, the EPA administers and implements the program and works with industry to ensure correct reporting of data. 

The NPI has the following objectives: 

  • To provide the community information, based on their 'right to know', about emissions to air, land and water and transfers of pollutants from industrial facilities across the State. 
  • To provide information that can contribute to policy development and decision-making for environmental planning and management. 
  • To promote waste minimisation, cleaner production and energy and resource-saving programs in industry and government. 

Where does NPI data come from?

Industrial facilities that exceed reporting thresholds for one or more substances are required to calculate and report the annual emissions that result from their operations to the NPI. The reported emission amounts are checked by the Tasmanian NPI officer and then submitted to the Australian Government ​Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This d​ata is then published annually on the NPI website. 

The NPI also collects data on transfers of waste. Transfer of waste is defined as the transport or movement of NPI substances on-site or off-site to a mandatory reporting transfer destination or a voluntary reporting transfer destination.

Approximately 150 facilities report annually to the NPI in Tasmania. 

Further information on reporting of ​emissions and transfers is available from the NPI website. 

What substances are included in the NPI program? 

A full list of the 93 NPI substances can be viewed on the NPI website.

How can I use the NPI database? 

You can use the NPI database to : 

  • Search for emissions of a particular substance in your suburb.
  • Search for emissions from particular industries.
  • Compare Tasmanian emissions to the rest of Australia.
  • Learn about the 93 substances included in the NPI and research the top emitters of these substances in Tasmania or Australia. 
  • View emissions by destination - i.e. emissions to air, land and water. 
  • View whether emissions are point source emissions or fugitive emissions.​

When is NPI data published? 

The NPI collect emission data from facilities on an annual basis. Data is published at the end of March each year. 

Understanding NPI data

The NPI website provides contextual information to assist users to understand NPI-sourced data. Information including emission sources, substance properties and health and environmental effects are available.