Mining in focus
Policies and practices are needed to
secure the future of women in mining.
MINEARC SYSTEM SUPPORTS WOMEN IN MINING
Embraced by sites across Africa,
the EnviroLAV Toilet System is
MineARC’s solution to the problem
of sanitation and waste management
within the mining industry. Released
in 2014, the EnviroLAV has already
been established as the waste
management system of choice in
the Australian mining community,
providing a low-cost, low maintenance,
robust solution that suits the
confines of underground mining.
One of the major advantages of
the EnviroLAV is that it provides
gender-specific, private toilet facilities
for women in mining; something that
until now has been severely lacking
in the industry. Women constitute
over 11% of Africa’s operational
mine workforce but continue to
face significant challenges on a daily
basis. Many mine sites currently lack
clean and secure sanitation facilities
with adequate waste management
processes. The EnviroLAV provides a
revolutionary solution to this problem.
The EnviroLAV’s structure consists
of lockable latrine facilities mounted on
top of a miniature biological treatment
plant, allowing for complete privacy
during use. The system utilises bacteria
and enzymes that anaerobically break
down waste. MineARC has combined
this biotechnology with compressed
air-driven aerobic effects, resulting
in a system that further reduces
waste to microscopic carbonaceous
particles that, after evaporating,
leave minimal remaining residue.
MineARC has developed three
EnviroLAV options. The Standard
EnviroLAV is designed with security
for women in mind, with plenty of
room to hang PPE, excellent lighting,
and a sterile hand washing facility
using MineARC’s own EnviroWASH
hand sanitising solution. Other
options include a dual toilet with the
option of dedicated male and female
facilities, as well as a compact model,
featuring a smaller footprint for use
when space is a limiting factor.
The EnviroLAV has options that
allow the system to run on either
electricity or mine air. The EnviroLAV
boasts features and benefits that no
other toilet in the industry can match.
Connected to mine water or other
freshwater supply, the toilet’s flushing
system boasts low water usage and
MineARC’s own environmentally
friendly, biodegradable EnviroZYME
solution for sanitised flushing.
With the amount of contact between
employees and waste matter vastly
reduced compared to conventional
portable toilets in the mining industry,
the EnviroLAV makes for a far more
hygienic working environment.
MARCH 2018 MINING MIRROR
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