January - February 2014
MODERN QUARRYING
29
FACE TO FACEWITH
ASPASA
the environment surrounding the quar-
ries. It serves as either a supplement to a
member’s own environmental procedures
and programmes, or assists in the fulfil-
ment of site-specific legal requirements
as set out in the approved Environmental
Management Plan (EMP).
Pienaar says the application of the
guideline to all phases of the quarry, or
sand mine, will improve the environmen-
tal performance of the operation and
reduce the associated risks of non-com-
pliance with some legal requirements, as
well as reduce the overall cost of environ-
mental management and rehabilitation,
and the total costs of the operation.
“Aspasa has made it easier for our
quarries to be environmentally responsi-
ble and comply with legal requirements,
and with our own strict membership
requirements. We have worked closely
with the Association’s own environmen-
tal programme auditor Alan Cluett, to
ensure that the guidelines are practical
to implement and are in line with current
and future statutory requirements,” he
confirms.
The guidelines for each phase of the
operation from construction, operational
Aspasa has made it easier for quarries to be environmentally responsible in compliance with legal requirements.
to decommissioning and post-closure
cover, on a phase-by-phase basis:
obtaining mining permits and mining
licenses;
requirements for the issue of a mining
permit or mining license;
site planning and development;
general site issues;
access and transport;
aesthetics;
preservation of vegetation;
drainage and erosion control;
dust, noise, light management;
oil storage and separation;
waste handling;
site excavation;
rehabilitation – concurrent and clo-
sure; and
post-closure maintenance.
Pienaar believes that it is a miscon-
ception that environmental management
costs money, and says the opposite is, in
fact, true. “Legal environmental require-
ments coupled to the adoption and
implementation of sound management
practices to all aspects and levels of man-
agement ensure maximum profits over
the life of the mine,” he adds.
Level the playing fields
Discussing a subject very pertinent to
Aspasa, Pienaar says illegal mining of
sand and stone has a crippling effect on
surrounding communities, depriving
workers of sustainable work, as well as
devastating the environment and render-
ing land unsuitable for future use.
“For this reason, Aspasa is leading
calls to legal quarries and mines to join
the Association in an ongoing attempt
to formalise the industry into levelling
the playing fields in a move to enforce
compliance with legal requirements. We
are simultaneously intensifying our talks
with government, businesses and profes-
sional bodies involved in the construction
industry to only buy sand and stone from
The ‘Environmental Management of Quarries; Development,
Operation and Rehabilitation Guidelines for southern AfricanQuarries’
booklet is available to members online or from Aspasa directly.
