Historically, air quality in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder was poor. The combination of the dry climate, storage of mine tailings near the city, unsealed roads, degraded land and roasting of ore concentrate close to town all contributed to the air quality problem.

The formation of KCGM provided the opportunity for improved air quality through:

• a phased reduction of in-town roasting and the establishment of a roaster at a location that minimised the impacts of sulphur dioxide on residential areas.
• the establishment of a “green belt” between the mine and the City to improve the visual appearance and reduce dust generation from degraded bare land.

Improved management practices have resulted in significant improvement in air quality in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder since the 1990’s.