ABSTRACT
This chapter explores seven principal areas of discussion where the impacts are serious and long-term and thus most likely to be considered impairment of the natural capital base: large-volume waste, mine closure planning, mining legacies, environmental management, energy use in the minerals sector, managing metals in the environment, and threats to biological diversity. A key factor in deciding on the location of mine waste disposal facilities is cost. The cheapest option is often to deposit waste as close as possible to the mine site, or in a location where it can be transported by gravity. Mining engineers also have to take into account the topography, hydrology, and geological characteristics of an area. Overburden and waste rock are typically broken up sufficiently to be moved to the allocated disposal site, where the material is usually dumped and any excess is bulldozed over the edge, forming slopes at the natural angle of repose.
