Australia has released a map of sites containing mine waste that could be reprocessed to source critical materials.

The Atlas of Mine Waste identifies 1,050 sites as possible sources of critical materials. The Atlas is a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, RMIT University, the University of Queensland, and the geological surveys of Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria, and South Australia.

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the atlas puts “…potentially lucrative sites on the map for the first time and may open up new sources of critical materials.”

Earlier this year saw Australia release four new Mineral Potential Maps, seeing the Australian Government supporting exploration for critical minerals including cobalt, gallium, and germanium for use in renewable technologies.

Developed as part of the Geoscience Australia Exploring for the Future program, all of the aforementioned releases will help ensure Australia successfully implements its Critical Minerals Strategy which seeks to outline priorities for the development of the country’s minerals sector, including how Australia can create economic opportunities across the nation and seize the opportunities of the net zero transformation.