Our View

Mining and processing facilities need large quantities of process materials to extract the metals. Because of the high tonnages of production, we continually use these process materials and often store them in large quantities. The variety of materials stored at an operation can be extensive. They range from hydrocarbon materials, process reagents and acids to hyper-saline ground water. Any quantity of these materials has the potential to be environmentally hazardous. If spilled, leaked or discharged to the environment, they may have an impact on the environment.

If these hazardous materials are released to the environment, they cannot be recovered easily. Such releases can cause environmental damage that may require considerable expense and effort to remedy.

It is for these reasons that most governments have imposed strict and very specific regulations for storage, use and disposal of environmentally hazardous materials. There are severe penalties for companies and individuals that fail to meet these regulations. Most environmental prosecutions to date have involved the irresponsible and/or mismanaged storage, use and disposal of environmentally hazardous materials.

Our Environmental Commitment

In WMC, we will:

• establish an inventory of all environmentally hazardous materials at all storage, transfer and operating facilities.
• develop and put to work plans to minimise environmental impacts from storage, transfer and use of all environmentally hazardous materials.
• investigate opportunities to progressively reduce the quantities of hazardous materials and encourage the use of less hazardous ones.
• for liquids, provide secondary containment if there is a potential for significant environmental impact.
• ensure that below-ground storage tanks and their pipelines have double skins or cathodic protection, and a monitoring system.
• establish a program to decommission or upgrade all current below-ground storage tanks that do not have double skins or cathodic protection, and a monitoring system.
• put to work a spill prevention and response plan.