Sustainability website / Case Studies 2003 / Xstrata coal / XCSA's Waste Management Programme

XCSA's Waste Management Programme

To ensure XCSA operations are adopting a best practice approach towards waste management, an assessment was conducted at five operations, grouped into the Tweefontein division, to collect information on the generation of waste and current methods of storage, transport, treatment and disposal.

An independent waste management company has since been appointed to improve the handling and recycling of waste.

This measure has seen a marked improvement in waste management at these operations. Drums are situated at most points of waste generation at the mines and are emptied into waste collection bins for collection by the waste removal company. All the drums and bins are colour coded according to the types of waste generated. With this management at the source system the collection, storage and recycling of waste at Tweefontein has substantially improved.

Also, two bioremediation landfarms were established at ATCOM (iMpunzi Division) to manage oil spills, oil and grease waste. Soil contaminated with hydrocarbon waste is transported to the landfarm and bacteria and nutrients are worked into the soil in order to break down the oil products into CO₂ and H₂O. At present approximately 213 litres per month of hydrocarbon waste is being successfully converted through the landfarms, thus avoiding the necessity to dispose hazardous waste at a licensed hazardous waste facility while enhancing environmental awareness and responsibility among employees. The landfarm has been implemented on a trial basis and is continuously monitored to assess its performance.