Tailings Management

Advancing Sustainable Development Goals When following the Tailings Management Protocol, mining companies work to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. • Promoting safe and secure working environments by ensuring that tailings management systems support identification of and response to potential hazards • Improving water quality and protecting water-related ecosystems by minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials • Developing reliable and resilient infrastructure to ensure safe and responsible tailings management, incorporating environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes • Managing chemicals and waste in an environmentally sound manner throughout their life cycle, minimizing adverse impacts on human health and the environment • Strengthening resilience and adaptability to climate-related hazards and natural disasters by considering climate change in planning processes Case Study: Tailings Rehabilitation in Labrador City Managing the waste from mining operations is an essential component of sustainable mining. The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has been revegetating closed portions of the Labrador City Operation tailings delta since 1989. Revegetation serves multiple purposes, including stabilization of soils, improved air quality, and increased biodiversity. The IOC Tailings to Biodiversity Initiative project examines the potential of increasing biodiversity on tailings through the creation of wetlands and revegetation using a diverse variety of native plant and shrub species. In 2019, IOC proceeded with its annual tailings rehabilitation work plan. Approximately 21.5 hectares of land was re-fertilized to enhance and speed up the ecological succession. This application was completed by spreading organic matter and fertilizer to balance PH levels using farming equipment as well as native seeds using an application called hydroseeding. Hydroseeding ingredients consist of a blend of bonded fibramulch, five types of native seed and water. To date IOC has rehabilitated 544 hectares of tailings at its Labrador operation. Case Study: Using Tailings in Mine Site Reclamation Canadian miner Eldorado Gold is undertaking one of the largest reclamation projects in Greece’s history at the company’s Olympias site in the Halkidiki Peninsula. Mining activities by the previous project owners left behind more than 2.4 million tonnes of tailings. Eldorado has been rehabilitating those tailings covering 26.5 hectares of land and the company has removed the old tailings, reprocessed them and restored the soil so that it can support vegetation. The aim is to eventually return the Olympias valley to a green area. At the company’s 15-hectare nursery, Greek Nurseries, more than 500,000 plants from 250 different plant species are grown. To make it easier for the new plants to adapt to the local soil and climate conditions, nursery staff grow trees and shrubs using locally-collected material such as roots, stems, leaf clippings and seeds. Plants are watered using excess water from Eldorado’s mines.