As a responsible mining company, Apex Mining (APX) effectively manages and mitigates its impact to the environment.

In 2024, under its Annual Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (AEPEP), the company spent P141.5 million to carry out activities, initiatives, and programs that catered to the care and sustenance of the environment.

Aside from extensive support to the country’s National Greening Program, Apex Mining undertakes a wide array of good housekeeping activities within its tenement area to ensure minimal impact to the environment.

Through proper management of its impact on land, water, and air resources, Apex Mining ensures the planet is in good shape all the time.

Solid waste management

Below is a breakdown of APX’s solid waste management interventions in 2024:

• 29 percent of solid waste were composted

• 5.66 percent were recycled

• 5.01 percent were reused

• 60.41 percent residuals

In 2024, a total of 274,285 kilos of scrap iron and recyclable materials was sold to a third-party buyer while some 71,202.67 kilos of residuals were disposed of by APX in either of the following ways: (a) biodegradables were turned into vermicompost or mulch to augment mine rehabilitation activities; (b) recyclables were stored in APX Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) before its disposal to third-party buyers; and, (c) residual waste were directly transported to LGU Maco Sanitary Landfill for final disposal.

Underground rehabilitation and backfilling

Rehabilitation of underground mines usually involves backfilling of mined-out stopes. In 2024, a total of 119,280 tons of waste were backfilled to the different mined-out areas in the underground.

WATER RESOURCES

Tailings Pond Operations and Maintenance

Apex Mining conducts regular de-silting of the creek, cleaning and clearing of debris at the CWD, replacement of worn-out pipes, detoxification and temporary revegetation along the perimeter of the tailings pond.

Monitoring of ambient water quality and wastewater effluent

In compliance with its approved Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMoP) the company also regularly monitors its ambient and effluent water quality through its in-house laboratory facility as well as DENR accredited third party laboratories.

Collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes generated

The hazardous wastes (empty toxic containers, used lead acid batteries, oil-contaminated materials, pathological waste, used oil, and electrical wastes) are properly collected, stored, and disposed of, observing the most stringent standards. Certificates of Treatment (COT) of all disposed and treated hazardous wastes are being issued by the DENR in compliance to DAO 1992- 29.

AIR: Ambient noise

Sound level monitoring at established noise monitoring locations are consistently conducted to evaluate the impact of the noise generated from APX’s mining activities on the neighboring barangays. According to the monitoring data generated in 2024, the noise source that exceeded the 15-minute interval came from motorcycles with open pipes and other vehicles.

Surface

Using PM10 Volumetric Sampler, ambient air quality was periodically tested in eight (8) identified air monitoring sampling locations in the mine site to ensure that the air quality was within permissible limits.

Source emission testing

In compliance with its Permit to Operate-Air (POA), APX tapped its DENR- accredited third-party source emission service provider to conduct its annual source emission testing of the Company’s air pollution source installations and pollution control devices.