Sustainability in the Mining Sector

There have been many documented instances of environmental pollution caused by mining operations, which are often caused by leakages of mining tailings. Mining tailings are the materials left behind after the economically valuable fraction of material has been extracted. These materials are often stored in large tailings dams to prevent environmental damage as tailings are often radioactive, toxic or acidic. Tailings consist of valuable substances used in the extraction process such as cyanide, mercury or arsenic; therefore, modern mining programmes often aim to remove these harmful but valuable chemicals to reuse for further mineral separation. In addition to improving efficiency and cutting costs, this minimises the risk of environmental damage by reducing the toxicity of the tailings.

As a result of strict international regulations, pollution caused by mining has been dramatically reduced; however, it is still an ongoing problem in many developing countries where illegal small-scale operations known as ‘artisanal mining’ occur. These low-tech, subsistence mining operations are often unsafe, and the poor management of sites leads to environmental pollution in the region.

Here at Makwande Auctioneers we work to prevent environmental degradation and restore our nature by recovering and redistributing end of life resources back into the product lifecycle. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you recover value from your end-of-life resources whilst regenerating our economy and our planet.