Mining is an activity which has, in the past, been regarded as often
leaving land in a condition unfit for further use. As the need for
development that is both economic and ecologically sustainable has
grown, so the issue of re-use of land after mining has become significant.
During operation it is usual that mine environmental conditions which
minimise unnecessary or avoidable environmental impact are agreed with
the regulatory authorities . These conditions are usually set down in such
a way that they can be interpreted reasonably well by both miners and
regulators. However, the conditions to be met by a mining company
before it can be absolved of responsibility of a site are often less clear.
The close-out criteria by which the success of rehabilitation programs will
be judged have received little attention in the past. These conditions are
now growing in importance as the costs of rehabilitation of a mine site to
an agreed post-mining land use assume greater significance in the
economics of mining. This paper briefly describes the status of close-out
criteria presently being applied across Australia. A comparison is made
with similar guidelines from other countries.