If you live in a region where there has been historical mining, you may come across historical mining waste. It could be on your property or in surrounding areas.
To find out what historical mining waste looks like, visit Identify historical mining waste.
If you think there is mining waste on your property, you should engage an expert. Visit Work with a consultant.
Mining waste on or near your property
Your duties and obligations
All Victorians must comply with the general environmental duty. This includes people living in former mining areas who come into contact with mining waste.
If you own or lease a property with mining waste, visit:
Make sure you tell anyone who may come in contact with the mining waste. This includes tradespeople, workers, future property owners or renters.
Outdoors
Do not let children play on mining waste. Do not put sand from mining waste in children's sand pits.
Cover children’s play areas with either:
- 30 cm of clean soil, covered with grass, mulch or woodchips
- thick plastic sheeting, covered with soil or woodchips
- impermeable pavers.
Do not use mining waste in landscaping works.
Do not dig in areas with grey sand or calcined sand. If you're not sure whether there is mining waste in the area, wear a disposable dust mask that fits snugly over your nose and mouth. Put the mask in the waste bin after use.
Reduce dust by:
- covering mine waste
- dampening soil before doing landscaping or gardening work
- covering bare soil with ground cover or hardstand.
After gardening:
- keep dedicated gardening clothes, gloves and shoes outside the house
- wash your hands and face.
Indoors
Dust and soil contaminated with mining waste comes indoors through the movement of people, animals and air.
To reduce exposure:
- wash your hands regularly, particularly before eating and sleeping
- wash children’s toys regularly to remove soil and dust
- wash family pets often if they play outdoors and live indoors
- place mats at the door and leave shoes outside to stop people tracking soil into the house
- mop and dust down surfaces with a damp cloth
- vacuum regularly, using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter
- close the windows and doors when it's windy
- consider sealing gaps and cracks around windows, doors or walls
- consider using an indoor HEPA air purifier to reduce dust.
Fruit, vegetables and poultry
It's unlikely that fruits and vegetables from your garden will have high concentrations of heavy metals from mining waste. This includes arsenic.
You can reduce exposure to small amounts of heavy metals by:
- washing home-grown fruit and vegetables to remove soil and dust before eating
- growing vegetables in clean soil in raised garden beds or pots that are at least 30 centimetres deep and sealed at the bottom.
If you are growing fruit and vegetables in the ground:
- keep the soil in the neutral pH range of between 6 and 7
- add organic matter like compost or manure, iron (if you're in an area with low-iron soil) and nutrients.
Chickens and other animals can take up arsenic from the environment. If they do, it can be found in their meat and eggs. Keep your chickens in pens with either:
- sealed floors
- topsoil replaced by 30 centimetres of clean soil.
For more information, visit Reduce your exposure to contaminated soil.
Dam water, rainwater and groundwater
Dust and soil from mine waste can be found in dams and rainwater tanks.
Mining waste from soil can contaminate groundwater aquifers and waterways through leaching. This is where water moves through the waste, taking up contaminants and moving them elsewhere.
We recommend that you do not swim or fish in dams.
Test water sources before use. You can arrange testing through a commercial laboratory.
Refer to Department of Health guidance about:
Updated