Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, has published a report that suggests more than 230 mine sites across the nation are expected to close by 2040. At the same time more mines will open as Australia demands more minerals to build the wind turbines, batteries, solar panels and transmission lines needed for the energy transition.

CTS Tyre Recycling was proud to have cooperated with CSIRO.

The focus for mining companies and their investors will be on rehabilitation of the mines that reach end of life, including the high-value recycling opportunities for materials such as waste tyres and conveyer belts.

CTS Tyre Recycling is building a new plant north of Perth that, for the first time in Australia, will be capable of recycling the massive haul truck tyres used on mine sites and that are currently stored or buried at end of life.

For the most part, miners are not yet required to report on the number of tyres held on their sites or how they are managed, but investors and the wider community are understandably demanding greater environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) metrics and disclosure.

Although waste tyres are chemically inert, there are still considerable risks associated with storing them or dumping them in landfill.

There is also a considerable risk of future subsidence on the land on which tyres are buried.

But the biggest risk (and opportunity) is ESG related. Investors, landowners and other stakeholders increasingly want assurances about how companies treat the land on which they are permitted to operate.

With the opportunity and solution offered by CTS Tyre Recycling at its new facility in Perth, the outdated practices of burying or storing thousands of tonnes of rubber waste will pose a reputational risk at a time when the environmental and social performance of mining entities (and government agencies) is under increasing scrutiny. Those tyres can be processed and fully recycled into a range of products, including as rubber crumb for use in road surfacing, soft-fall flooring and industrial matting.

The CSIRO report is available online at at:

https://www.csiro.au/mineclosuresolutions

https://crctime.com.au/blog/mineclosuresolutions/

Citation: CSIRO (2023) Enabling mine closure and transitions: Opportunities for Australian industry. Prepared for Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME).