Improving solid waste management in a coal mining organization: a case of Mafube Coal

Abstract

Waste can be any substance that is unwanted and discarded. In most definitions, all waste is harmful unless treated (Nyika et al, 2019). Waste, and the management thereof, is a global issue and depending on how it is managed, it tends to be very harmful to the environment (Chen et al., 2019). It is acknowledged that including waste management in the legislature of a country is the best tool to enforce waste management. South Africa only has four decades of such an experience. This has made it slow for industries, such as coal mining, to implement lucrative waste initiatives. This study seeks to determine key issues associated with non-mineral waste management and to assess if a waste transfer station can be used as a tool to improve waste management. The key findings were that waste management at Mafube Coal is not standardized and a waste storage facility with a similar design of a waste transfer station can be used by the operation to improve non-mineral waste management.