UPACMIC - LIFE12 ENV/FI/000592

Background and objectives

Background

In order to minimise potential adverse impact of mining waste on the environment, bottom structures need to be constructed for waste rock heaps and tailings storage facilities. The rehabilitation process requires capping of a tailings storage facility. In case of older tailings ponds which were constructed without the currently legally binding bottom structures, the construction of a cover might not be enough to curb the potential leaching of tailings. The construction of a reactive barrier might be an answer to this problem.

On the EU level, it has been estimated that more than 400 million tons of waste from the extractive industries is generated annually. Finland has a long tradition in mining industry and its mining sector has been undergoing a period of strong growth in the recent decades with numerous new operations. It has been estimated that mining operations in Finland alone result in 50 million tons of mining waste every year.

Objectives

The Piloting Action tests all the details of the process from the storage, treatment and transports of materials until the construction of the application has been finished. The action demands a good synchronisation of the materials flow. Most of the materials in the Piloting Action are based on industrial wastes and by-products.

All the information and experience obtained serves the needs of the stakeholders and the target audience. It also supplies the environmental authorities with valuable background data needed for the development of the legislative tools. The project is a practical implementation of the EU waste hierarchy and a step towards building a recycling society.

The project actions are:

PREPARATORY ACTIONS prepared a smooth start of the actual LIFE-project. It included plans for preliminary materials and methods.

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS started with the development of material mixtures suitable for the pilot applications. The aim of the implementation actions was to design all the aspects of the pilot constructions, to carry it out according to the high-quality standards and to compile all the knowledge and lessons learned in the form of the Logistic Model and Recommendations. The Quality Control is one of the major aspects of the piloting activities.

MONITORING OF THE IMPACT OF THE PROJECT ACTIONS included studying the project impact on the main target audience and on the environmental problem targeted.

COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION ACTIONS included various dissemination and communication sub-actions that carried out by all the beneficiaries of the UPACMIC project aiming at best possible communication of the project results to the target group as well as large audiences in Finland and Europe.

MANAGEMENT ACTIONS involved the overall management and co-ordination of the project according to the details of the project plan and the financial budget and with respect to the contract with the Commission.