MINING WASTE
There are other strong examples of waste management solutions available to the industry too, currently. They include:
• On-site bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils to create compost for reuse on site.
• Cleaning oily rags and hydrocarbon-contaminated PPE through offsite or onsite laundry services allows for their reuse in workshops, or for them to be cut into smaller rags for less critical tasks, which reduces waste and promotes a circular economy. Proper procedures are essential, such as keeping these materials in separate, sealed containers and never washing them with other laundry due to their hazardous and flammable nature.
• Garden and wooden pallet processing onsite for potential bioremediation or alternative energy use.
• On- or off-site anaerobic digesters for canteen and food waste can be used to generate energy such as steam or biogas for other processing plants.
• Collaborating on investing in central transfer stations involving communities help to leverage economies of scale and minimise 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.
Waste management in mining is evolving, with new sustainable and innovative solutions constantly coming into play. As a result, mining waste management companies need to create tailored waste management services that range from analysing and classifying waste streams to aligning the processing thereof to current and future legislation, as well as to designing and implementing solutions that meet the mine’ s goals.
At the same time, these solutions need to focus on safety as well as environmental, social, and economic benefits while also having the potential to lower operational costs and improve profits. In fact, we are already seeing mining companies being more receptive to the effective waste management solutions and programmes – actively investing in them and, in doing so, ensuring legal compliance while improving cost pressures and ultimately, the overall sustainability of a mine. �
Interwaste has pioneered two types of alternative fuels locally – one solid and one liquid – and tries to convert as much industrial waste into this product as our current capacity allows.
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