12.12.2021
The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (“PRTR”) may be described as a publicly accessible inventory containing information on which chemicals and pollutants are released, where and how such releases occur, and by whom. The PRTR records chemicals and pollutants released into the air, water or land, as well as those transferred off-site for treatment. At the international level, initiatives for the establishment of PRTR systems began following the adoption of Agenda 21 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the “Rio Conference”) in 1992. In Türkiye, a pilot PRTR project was implemented in İzmir by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2006 and 2007.
The Regulation on the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (the “Regulation”) was subsequently published in the Official Gazette No. 31679 dated 4 December 2021 and entered into force on the same date. The Regulation was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change (the “Ministry”) as part of Türkiye’s alignment with Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
The Regulation primarily covers the following sectors:
- Energy
- Mining
- Production and processing of metals
- Chemical industry
- Waste and wastewater management
- Production and processing of paper and wood
- Intensive livestock production and aquaculture
- Animal and vegetable products used in the food and beverage industry, including slaughterhouses and raw milk production
- Other activities, including leather tanning and shipbuilding
Operators falling within the scope of the Regulation are required, first, to register their facilities with the PRTR system and, subsequently, to report annually on matters including the quantities of pollutants listed in the Regulation released into the air, water and land. The information contained in these reports will be reviewed and verified by the relevant provincial authorities and ultimately approved by the Ministry. The resulting PRTR will then be made publicly accessible online by the Ministry.
Although the Regulation entered into force on 4 December 2021, different commencement dates have been prescribed for the PRTR obligations applicable to individual sectors. Accordingly, the relevant obligations apply to operators in each sector as of the following dates:
- Energy: 4 December 2021
- Mining: 4 December 2022
- Production and processing of metals: 4 December 2021
- Chemical industry: 4 December 2022
- Waste and wastewater management: 4 December 2023
- Production and processing of paper and wood: 4 December 2023
- Intensive livestock production and aquaculture: 4 December 2024
- Animal and vegetable products used in the food and beverage industry: 4 December 2024
- Other activities: 4 December 2024
Operators that fail to comply with their obligations under the Regulation may be subject to administrative sanctions pursuant to Environmental Law No. 2872.