Proposal for a strategy for a sustainable management of mine waste
In 2017, the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency submitted a proposed strategy for long-term environmentally sustainable management of mining waste at the request of the government. The purpose of the proposed measures is to prevent the generation of mining waste, minimise environmental impact and increase the recycling of mining waste.
The strategy contains the following 13 measures that the government may task to various authorities to further the country's mineral and environmental objectives:
An efficient and clear permit examination system:
- Include waste management costs when assessing the mining potential of a deposit.
- Clarify the role of the waste management plan in the trial.
- Clarify the connection between the waste management plan and financial security.
- Investigate how the permit examination system can be improved.
Reliable supervision and autonomy
- Provide guidance on extractive waste regulation.
- Enable environmental penalty fee linked to the waste management plan.
The right knowledge in the right place
- Appoint the appropriate authority as the mandatory referral authority for matters of financial security.
- Promote cooperation between county administrations with mining operations for increased knowledge transfer and resource utilisation of expert knowledge.
- Carry out systematic follow-up of completed post-treatments.
Waste monitoring and categorisation
- Develop the statistics on mining waste.
- Collect information on historical mine waste.
- Investigate whether there are legal obstacles that hinder the possibilities of secondary extraction.
Innovative waste management
- Re-establish the National Minerals Forum.
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