Cement, Energy and Environment

14 es mated that since 1880, approximately 900 million tons of aluminium were produced of which nearly 75% is s ll in use today. The demand for aluminium con nues to skyrocket and recycling aluminium saves more than 90% of the energy required to producing new metal, thus rendering recycling very a rac ve. This scales down the amount of wasteful use on public and private level. Accordingly, mining companies can start use of durable goods that can be easily re-usable, re- manufactured, or recycled, undertaking environmentally sustainable prac ces will reduce its inimical impact. There are success stories in these re-usable material applica ons. This crea ve and increasing trend of scrap mining, or u lizing ever- reusable resource for other mining ini a ves, saves from the environmental hazards. It is necessary to find out each and every detail of each piece which is being used and generated in a mining site, which will help the mining industry to take suitable steps towards re-use, for becoming a more sustainable industry. For similar examples, we can use recycling of copper waste, which takes seven mes less energy than processing of copper ore, and recycling steel which uses three-and-a-half mes less energy than processing of iron ore. These small steps will help us immensely in determining not only the longevity of a sustainable mining prac ces and also have its posi ve environmental impact. · Come up with be er regula ons and legisla on As observed by the Honourable Supreme Court in its judgement on mining in 2017, the present mining legisla on that we have today is far from being effec ve or produc ve. Mining con nues to affect the environment because companies never cease to take advantage and con nue pollu ng environment by waste discharges. Regula on obviously differs from country to country, with some countries more advanced in terms of their legisla on than others. However, the need for improvement is always there in this industry, which inevitably causes some environmental damage. We have to learn a lot from other countries like, for example In Canada, where mines like the Island Copper Mine on Vancouver Island stands as a highly regulated mine site that is opera onal from 1971 to 1995 when it was closed for resource deple on. It was forced by regulatory agencies and control of the government that a detailed mine closure plan was developed to comfortably close the mine in order to protect the few resources which remained, and the Mine enacted the contaminated sites regula on process which was awarded the Cer ficate of Condi onal Compliance. This step involves the effec ve framing of the mineral policy and as we found that the new Mineral Policy 2019 advocates for the stringent laws for environmentally sustainable mining prac ces.