Cartwright, D, Chavez Matus, T, Yokota, M, Newton, O & Kareemulla, T 2026, 'Re-imagining tailings: a vision for safe, sustainable mining', in AB Fourie, M Horta, M Oliveira & S Wilson (eds), Paste 2026: Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2655_0.01
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2655_0.01_Cartwright/)
Abstract: Managing tailings is one of the mining industry’s most significant challenges and one of its greatest opportunities. Decisions made today about how we manage and re-imagine tailings will play a major role in determining what the future direction of mining looks like, including the level of trust placed in the sector by communities and regulators.
In recent years, we have seen real progress: stronger global standards, better monitoring tools, and new technologies that help reduce risk and improve the way we design and operate facilities. These steps are helping us move toward a future where catastrophic failures can be prevented and where communities, investors, and regulators can have greater confidence in how we operate. Through innovation, the mining industry can not only improve the way it manages existing facilities but reshape how companies understand and manage risk and deliver value alongside improved safety and sustainability outcomes.
This paper will look at where we stand today, sharing examples of innovation and collaboration already happening across the industry. It will also explore where we can go from here, outlining a vision of what the future could hold: a future where tailings facilities are inherently safer by design, where water and waste are managed more efficiently, and where the industry’s approach to tailings can become a model of environmental stewardship. Through collaboration with technology innovators, suppliers and academia, it is possible to drive collective action and overcome persistent challenges in piloting and scaling new approaches. 

Keywords: collaboration, standards, stewardship, tailings innovation