ABSTRACT
Most countries with significant mining industries have bodies of laws and regulations that govern the design, operation, closure and rehabilitation of mine and industrial waste storages to various degrees. It is obviously all-important to be aware of these laws and regulations, what they require and what they permit. Like municipal solid waste landfills, mine waste storages are dangerous structures that have been the known cause of death for 1083 innocent people over the past 80 years (see Table 11.1). Hence the risk of failure attached to a potential site should be an over-riding consideration in site selection.
