Wastes from mining operations in according to Directive 2006/21/EC (Legislative Decree 30 May 2008,nr.117)

The extractive activities have always been a source of raw material for humans. At the same time, they have caused many environmental problems, the magnitude of which has been recently brought to the fore by a more widespread environmental awareness.

At a European level, after numerous cases of serious incidents related to previous mining activities, there is a need to manage and monitor all of the hazard centers scattered across Europe. This new environmental consciousness is expressed by the Directive 2006/21/CE, on the management of waste from extractive industries.

Subsequently, each member country has implemented it, according to its national legislation.

In Italy, the following regulatory instruments were issued:

• the Legislative Decree 117 of 30 May, 2008, entered into force July 22, 2008;
• the recent Decree April 16, 2013, entered into force July 23, 2013.

This document analyzes the most recent legislation on waste produced by extractive industries, with particular reference to the geotechnical stability of the storage facilities. Therefore, it is proposed, in addition, a national reference methodology for the determination of the structural static risk, which is useful for the realization of the inventory of the storage facilities which cause serious negative environmental impacts or have the potential of becoming, in the medium or short term, a serious threat to human health or the environment.

Today no country should ignore the potentialities of recycling waste from extractive activities, which should be considered as a new reservoir of secondary raw materials. If, on the one hand, waste products may represent a threat when abandoned, or not managed; on the other hand, if properly exploited, they can also become an important opportunity for the future.