Approach and Benefits of Sustainable Solid Waste Management

APPROACH AND BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT A case study of Sentinel mine in Solwezi, Zambia Beverly Thole* *First Year MPhil Student at the University of Zambia/ Cape Town University-In Conjunction with the Stellenbosch School of public Leadership and Sustainability Institute, Sustainable Mineral Resources Development Education for sustainable development in Africa (ESDA) Program of the United Nations University *Correspondence beverlythole@gmail. com and http//www. linkedin. com/in/beverly-thole-298971133/ The current utilization of mineral resources has challenged the earths capacity to withstand the negative environmental problems and this affects the economy, energy and climate aspects of our future. We need to fulfil our human needs and demands now while making use of limited resources. Historically, mining has affected the environment negatively by causing land degradation, household waste production, land, water& air pollution, species extinction, acid mine drainage and imbalance in biodiversity. This paper reviews sustainability in the context of solid waste management in a mine setup. A conceptual Sustainable Solid Waste Management approach model is devised and applied to sentinel mine in Solwezi, Zambia. Results of this study show that the mine waste material that may be generated throughout a mine process can be reduced, reused, recycled, recovered and or disposed in an environmentally friendly way thereby leading to efficient utilization of mineral resource. The study further highlights some of the benefits that may come with this practice and a conclusion is drawn from the same.