Nonprofit environmental and community organisation Earthworks, together with an international group of 142 scientists, community groups and nongovernmental organisations from 24 countries, have published a set of 16 guidelines for the safer storage of mine waste.
The guidelines, titled ‘Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management’ aim to protect communities, workers and the environment from the risks posed by thousands of mine waste storage facilities, which Earthworks says are failing more frequently and with more severe outcomes.