How do we use land?

Rio Tinto’s activities generally require the exclusive use of land, at least in the medium term, for mining, processing, smelting and associated infrastructure such as ports, railways and power stations. We refer to this as our footprint. It may also include land which we have disturbed and then rehabilitated. While our aim is for progressive rehabilitation of disturbed areas, the extent to which this can be achieved will depend on the type of operation, mine planning constraints and land management practices.

Mine closure includes the rehabilitation of land to make it available for other uses. Activities include dismantling of infrastructure, removing residual materials, structures and machinery, remediating any contaminated areas and rehabilitating disturbed areas. Closure planning must also consider impacts on local communities, estimates of closure costs and financial provisions to ensure that any liabilities are addressed. Planning for closure now commences prior to land disturbance and plans are reviewed on a five yearly basis. They include costs estimates for all aspects of closure as well as planning for environmental and social matters ahead of closure.