The Evolving Face of Waste Management in the Mining Industry

Waste generation is an inevitable part of the mining process and can have detrimental effects on the environment if not managed responsibly. As a result, the waste management sector has a huge role to play in the disposal of this waste. Although the mining sector has been a key driver for growth and development of the country’s economy, unfortunately, mining produces a significant amount of waste which has a large impact on the environment and communities across the country.

Some of these impacts range from water pollution, negative effects on the country’s biodiversity and human health. Hence the importance for mines to mitigate risks by conducting comprehensive Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs) and implementing sustainable solutions for the full lifecycle of the mine.

Mining companies have to gain insight into the stringent environmental legislation, standards as well as guidelines applicable to waste management within their business and mining concerns. This is to ensure that the impact of the waste is managed correctly and is not detrimental to the environment and more importantly, can be reduced to meet the rising need for sustainable solutions within the sector.

Linked to this, the global trends of zero waste to landfill and circular economies are challenging the status quo of how mines products, or energy production through the systematic application of the waste hierarchy still needs to be a priority,” states McNeil.

In fact, with this change in mindset and legislation adoption, it will mean eliminating unnecessary wastage, and waste generation, which would eventually be disposed at a landfill. This can be further achieved by optimising resource efficiency through sustainable product designs, recovery, reuse and recycling of products, or energy production by utilizing the systematic application of the waste hierarchy and implementing strategies (to minimise this impact as well as reduce the impact going forward), such as the positive results of remediating, removing and repurposing dormant mine dumps are now considered a de factor standard for operations.

The waste management in mining is however evolving with new sustainable and innovative solutions coming into play. As a result, mining waste management companies need to create tailored waste management services, which range from analysing and classifying waste streams; aligning the processing thereof to current and future legislation, and then designing and implementing solutions that meet the mine’s goals.

These solutions must incorporate a key focus on safety, environmental, social and economic benefits. Examples of some solutions within the waste management

work, with leading mines shifting to zero waste to landfill strategies, having already begun to separate their waste streams, and finding alternative use for them.

However, while welcome, this trend has encouraged a mindset of avoiding waste, as opposed to minimising it, recycling, reducing, recovering and as a last option, disposing waste to landfill. The Polokwane Declaration sets targets of zero waste to landfills by 2022 although the set target of zero waste to landfill was revised to ensure 70% waste diverted from landfills by 2022.

Moreover, Zero Waste to Landfill (ZW2L) has been adopted by mining giants, with vested interests and operations locally in support of their existing commitments to sustainable development, and to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework, i.e. National Environmental Management Act (NEMA, Act 107 of 1998) and the Waste Act, 2008 (Act 59 of 2008) all of which is encouraging.

According to Jason McNeil, Chief Operating Officer, Interwaste, given this ongoing commitment, it would actually eventually lead to eliminating unnecessary wastage and waste generation, which we know traditionally ends up at a landfill. “Of course, more will be needed if we want to make a real impact. Therefore, taking a longterm view to optimising resource efficiency through innovations like sustainable product designs, recovery, reuse and recycling of

industry that are available to mining companies include: • On-site bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils to compost for use on mine • Oily rag, hydrocarbon contaminated

PPE – laundry on or offsite – enables the cleaning and re-use of these materials back into workshops and old

PPE cut into rags for reuse. • Garden and wooden pallet processing onsite for potential bioremediation or alternative energy use • On or off-site Anaerobic digesters for canteen and food waste – eliminates waste which can then be used to

generate energy such as steam or gas for other processing plants • Collaborating on investing in central transfer stations involving communities to leverage economies of scale and minimize transport costs e.g. bulk recycling processing or consolidating loads to transport to alternative treatment facilities. • Local waste opportunities such as the pyrolysis of general waste tailings, rubber or plastic products.

Going forward, it is going to become ever more business critical that a mining business incorporates its environmental impact into its business processes from inception and throughout the lifecycle of the mine.

From the sourcing of various raw materials, to the production and final consumption/route to market, companies need to understand the generation of waste in each process to ensure the long-term commercial and environmental viability of the business.

Mining companies are becoming more receptive to the effective waste management solutions and programmes which are being offered and are actively investing in these solutions in recognising that effective waste management is not only fundamental to the sustainability and legal compliance for a mine, but it also has economic benefits.