Post-mining land use
Mine Closure Hub
In brief
- Post-mining land use is the use of mined land once active mining has been completed.
- Globally, the most common categories of post-mining land use are community and culture, conservation and ecosystem services, and non-intensive recreation.
- Woodlawn, a former open-cut copper, lead and zine mine in Australia, has been transformed into a bioreactor landfill and eco-precinct.
Post-mining land use refers to the use of mined land once active mining has been completed. In Australia, the proposed post-mining land use is usually specified during project evaluation in the environmental impact statement. The most common of these land uses are: grazing, native bushland/woodland and dryland cropping.
Turn the cards below for further details of these post-mining land uses.
A number of other post-mining land uses are gaining popularity among mining companies, communities and other stakeholders. These include regenerative cropping, protected horticulture, intensive livestock, renewable energy, manufacturing and tourism.
Turn the cards below for further details of these post-mining land uses.
A global scan
In 2020, CSRM reviewed 141 examples of post-mining land use globally and classified the examples into 10 categories.
Hover your mouse over the images to find out.
Community and culture. © OTML (2018)
Community and culture. © OTML (2018)
Conservation and ecosystem services. Adobe Stock
Conservation and ecosystem services. Adobe Stock
Non-intensive recreation. Adobe Stock
Non-intensive recreation. Adobe Stock
Education and research. Adobe Stock
Education and research. Adobe Stock
Construction and intensive recreation. Adobe Stock
Construction and intensive recreation. Adobe Stock
Lake or pool. Adobe Stock
Lake or pool. Adobe Stock
Agriculture. Adobe Stock
Agriculture. Adobe Stock
Light industrial. Adobe Stock
Light industrial. Adobe Stock
Alternative health. Adobe Stock
Alternative health. Adobe Stock
Forestry. Adobe Stock
Forestry. Adobe Stock
The global scan found that the most common categories of post-mining land use were community and culture, conservation and ecosystem services, and non-intensive recreation. Community and culture include cultural/historical precincts, reclamation art, museums or exhibitions of mining/industrial history, and community event spaces.
An important element of this land use is reconfiguring mining infrastructure as cultural heritage. Conservation and ecosystem services encompass wildlife habitat, native woodlands, carbon offsets and sequestration, and wetlands. Non-intensive recreation includes park and open green space; public/botanical gardens; paths for walking, hiking, running, cycling and horse-riding; and eco-tourism.
We found that mine sites were typically reused for more than one purpose, indicating that although the previous mining land use may have been singular, post-mining land uses are generally not.
Woodland bioreactor landfill and eco-precinct - a case study vignette
Listen to the following audio for a summary of the Woodlawn case study:
Download the transcript here.
Woodlawn, a former open-cut copper, lead and zinc mine in regional New South Wales, Australia, has been transformed into a bioreactor landfill and an eco-precinct by Veolia over a 10-year period. It’s now one of the largest and deepest purpose-built bioreactor landfill projects globally and is recognised as an example of best practice in the application of landfill technology. The solid waste landfill uses additional liquids to help bacteria break down the waste, which produces landfill gas and heat (also known as bio-energy). Woodlawn accepts about 40% of the decayable waste from Sydney, plus waste from the cities of Canberra and Goulburn.
Woodlawn’s eco-precinct operates as a circular economy and undertakes:
In addition to the bioreactor landfill, the eco-precinct includes a bioenergy facility and a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant. The bio-energy (extracting gas and heat from the landfill) contributes to the electricity grid and supplies enough power to support 10,000 households. Supporting the major infrastructure on site are aquaculture (using waste heat from electrical generation activities) and agricultural outputs, a wind farm (powers houses), solar farm (powers the MBT) and a community education centre.
Veolia has invested $100 million in technology to extract as much value from the waste cycle as possible to ensure it’s feasible over the long-haul: the 50 years it’s estimated it will take to fill the mine void.
The former Woodlawn open-cut pit has been transformed into a bioreactor landfill, New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of Sarah Holcombe, CSRM.
The former Woodlawn open-cut pit has been transformed into a bioreactor landfill, New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of Sarah Holcombe, CSRM.
Trucks entering the Woodlawn bioreactor landfill and eco-precinct site, New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of Sarah Holcombe, CSRM.
Trucks entering the Woodlawn bioreactor landfill and eco-precinct site, New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of Sarah Holcombe, CSRM.
This graphical representation shows the evolution of the Woodlawn bioreactor landfill and eco-precinct. Use the presentation scroll bar to move through the changes at Woodlawn over time. To continue moving through the Post-mining land use section, make sure your cursor is outside the presentation or use the page scroll bar (further right). If you are using a phone, make sure you rotate the phone and view the presentation in landscape mode.
Animation and illustrations by Darren Sprott, Design Solutions Australia Pty Ltd.
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