The future of tailings disposal in Europe

Abstract

Mining in Europe has survived numerous economic cycles, experiencing a resurgence in the late twentieth century. During this period the mining industry began to come to terms with the increase in scope and the prescriptive nature of legislation, particularly that related to mine waste management, and made significant advances in environmental performance. However, public opinion, often ill‐informed, has led to political pressure for the withdrawal of governmental assistance in a number of countries, revocation of exploration licences and to mining companies withdrawing from potentially world‐class operations in Europe.

This paper presents an overview of current European mine tailings management and reviews environmental performance in the context of international practice, the impending legislation, and public perception of mining generally. The question is posed to governments, regulators and mining companies whether, without cooperation, there is a future for an environmentally conscious and sustainable minerals industry within Europe.

Keywords:

• Tailings disposal
• EU legislation
• accession states
• environmental performance
• ICOLD
• BAT
• failure statistics

Notes

BRGM,2002 and Symonds Group, 2002

EU2002

BRGM2002

ICOLD2001

Lindstrom,2000

Kupfer,2001

ICOLD2001

Cambridge2003

Groom,2002

Cambridge,1999