Confronted by mounting opposition to new mines from communities in the Asia-Pacific, the mining industry has recently adopted a disturbing, relatively untested "technology" to keep toxic waste out of site and out of mind. Submarine Tailings Disposal (or STD) is a euphemism for dumping minewastes, without effective detoxification, onto the ocean bed. It's already employed at the Minahasa gold mine in north Sulawesi and at Newmont's huge Batu Hijau mine on Sumbawa. Several new mines are now planning to employ it, primarily in Indonesia and the Philippines. Ironically, all the companies using, or proposing, STD are based in the US, Canada or Australia - three countries where its use is either illegal or would breach environmental regulations.

Nostromo Research, DTE and Minewatch Asia-Pacific have published an illustrated booklet on STD, examining its history and setting out the reasons for condemning it.

To order the report (70 pages) write to DTE at 59 Athenlay Road, London SE15 3EN enclosing a cheque for £2.00(sea mail/UK) £3.50 (airmail).
Please add equivalent of £2 if not using a Sterling cheque.

A shorter version of the text is now available in both English and Bahasa Indonesia on our website.
RTF versions are also available via email: contact dte@gn.apc.org