Mining and mineral-processing wastes are one of the world's largest chronic waste concerns. Their reuse should be included in future sustainable development plans, but the potential impacts on a number of environmental processes are highly variable and must be thoroughly assessed. The chemical composition and geotechnical properties of the source rock determine which uses are most appropriate and whether reuse is economically feasible. If properly evaluated, mining waste can be reused to reextract minerals, provide additional fuel for power plants, supply construction materials, and repair surface and subsurface land structures altered by mining activities themselves.

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This paper reports the progress of current research being undertaken at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, investigating the feasibility of recycling base metal mine tailings. An integrated four-staged recycling system is proposed, involving the retrieval of remnant metals, extraction of potential contaminants, processing for construction materials and backfill, and development of a benign final residue suitable for revegetation and landscaping. The system is designed as both a means of tailings rehabilitation and as an alternative to conventional dam storage. Four case-study mines are used to investigate tailings characteristics and assess the feasibility of the recycling stages. Some of the experimental work for this project is still underway, and economic analyses are incomplete. Nevertheless, results indicate that recycling mine tailings ·is technically feasible. The system may have only limited application as a means of rehabilitation, but has significant potential as an alternative to conventional tailings management for future mining operations.