Better legislation and regulations

Standard legislation concerning the efficiency of mining is a long way off from being
the most productive and most strict government mandates that exists today.
Obviously these regulations differ between nations, with some countries more
advanced in terms of their legislation than others, however the need for improvement
is always there in this industry, which inevitably causes some toxic agents .

In Canada for example, mines like the Island Copper Mine on Vancouver Island
stands as a highly regulated mine site that operated from 1971 until 1995 when it
was closed for resource depletion. It was due to the regulation and control of the
government that a detailed mine closure plan was developed to comfortably close
the mine in order to protect the few resources which remained, and the B.C. enacted
the contaminated sites regulation process which was awarded the Certificate of
Conditional Compliance. It is this kind of federal regulation that will not only protect
environmental and public health, but that will improve the lifespan of the mining
industry.

Closing illegal and unregulated mines

In context with enforcing regulations and maintaining steadfast legislation regarding

a mine’s behavior and processes, the strict and swift closing of illegal or unregulated
mining activity will set an environmental precedent within the industry.

Scrap mining and recycling

On a global scale, mining corporations around the world are discovering efficient
ways to capitalize fully on materials in order to provide the goods and services
people want using much less wood, metal, stone, plastic and other materials. By
reducing the amount of wasteful use on a public and private level, and by steering
production towards the sole use of durable goods that can be easily reusable, re-
manufactured, or recycled, the mining industry can begin to reduce its impact on an
international scale.

This creative trend of scrap mining, or utilizing ever-reusable resource for other
mining initiatives, stems from the recognition of the environmental costs of excessive
materials use. Mining exacts a severe and sometimes irreversible toll on public
health, water and air quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and community interests.
“Recognizing that "business-as-usual" practices are unsustainable, some nations,
international organizations, and environmental groups are calling for reduction toxic
agent by as much as 90 percent" .

Better legislation and regulations

Standard legislation concerning the efficiency of mining is a long way off from being
the most productive and most strict government mandates that exists today.
Obviously these regulations differ between nations, with some countries more
advanced in terms of their legislation than others, however the need for improvement
is always there in this industry, which inevitably causes some environmental
damage.

In Canada for example, mines like the Island Copper Mine on Vancouver Island
stands as a highly regulated mine site that operated from 1971 until 1995 when it
was closed for resource depletion. It was due to the regulation and control of the
government that a detailed mine closure plan was developed to comfortably close
the mine in order to protect the few resources which remained, and the B.C. enacted
the contaminated sites regulation process which was awarded the Certificate of
Conditional Compliance. It is this kind of federal regulation that will not only protect
environmental and public health, but that will improve the lifespan of the mining
industry.

Accurate tallying of toxic mining waste

Another problem with the whole sustainable mining debate has to do with secrecy in
reporting toxic mining waste. Mining companies have not been accurately reporting
the amounts being dumped into the environment and in doing so, have kept the
public in the dark. Most notably this has been occurring with the Canadian people
as of late, with a huge public backlash being the center of much of the mining industry
controversy being targeted on accurate waste tallying lately. While sustainable
mining looks good on paper and seems easy enough to follow provincial or federal
guidelines, the industry has a way to go before it can be considered even remotely
green.