Jones, H 2008, 'Closure Objectives, Guidelines and Actual Outcomes', in AB Fourie, M Tibbett, I Weiersbye & P Dye (eds), Mine Closure 2008: Proceedings of the Third International Seminar on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 245-254, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/852_23
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/852_23_Jones/)
Abstract: The paper outlines the closure objectives of some commonly referenced guidelines, including the 
International Finance Corporation (IFC), some governments, and major companies, with particular 
reference to stability requirements of waste dumps and tailings structures. It considers what the term “stable 
landforms” (geotechnical and erosion resistance) could mean in these publications. It discusses how 
guidelines evolve, their practical status on mine sites and how they relate to legislation. The paper then 
considers “prescriptive” and “enabling” approaches to legislation and discusses how they can impact on 
setting and attaining closure objectives. The paper evaluates various legislative standards around the world 
and considers them as methods of attaining an acceptable final outcome for waste structures. 
Examples of mine waste landforms are used to illustrate the resulting outcomes of the objectives and 
guidelines. The author draws conclusions from some of the outcomes and suggests methods of economically 
improving the long-term stability performance of post-mining landforms.