Management of water and Mine Waste is a major Environmental and Safety issue in Mines today. At mine sites, geosynthetics have been primarily used as basal liners for heap leach and liquid containment facilities (drainage waters, process solutions, treatment ponds), and to some extent, for tailings and other solid waste storage facilities. Geogrids have been used to stabilize soft soils for road construction and mine tailings for placement of cover soils. Geopipes have been used for conveyance of runoff, drainage, and process waters, and/or for leak-detection systems around mine sites. 

 

Impermeable and semi impermeable liners such as HDPE, LLDPE, BGM's, and Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) allow liquids and other wastes to be contained. The varying level of chemical resistance of these liners means waste can be contained safely into the future. The containment or low permeability function of geosynthetics allows the control a material or contaminant (solid, liquid or gas) from entering the natural environment and/or impacting upon humans. This function allows geosynthetics to be used when a pollutant needs to be contained from entering into the environment and spreading into adjacent pollutant free areas. Geosynthetic containment systems can be a safer, more cost effective and responsible alternative than removal of the pollutant from site.