This article discusses the main issues associated with waste from mining activity, which is the largest group of combined waste in Poland. A series of domestic and foreign solutions (practical and laboratory solutions) were indicated here, aimed at the management of waste in accordance with the tendency of circular economy (CE). In connection with the legislative changes, there is a need to resign from storage of the waste that is recyclable. The authors indicate mining waste as a potential for further studies, searching for solutions in regard to the use of waste as a raw material for sustainable, secondary use/reuse. Based on EUROSTAT data, the types of waste from mining and quarrying were grouped and the juxtaposition of all waste generated in Poland was implemented in the context of selected European economies. It was indicated which types of waste can be identified for reuse and management in accordance with CE. Rational management of mineral raw materials and therefore, maintaining of the level of extraction of domestic natural resources will contribute to maintaining not only energy independence, but also the leading position of Polish mining in the international aspect in the scope of extraction of metallic and rock raw materials. Mining waste can be and is reused in accordance with the concept of CE, which was showed through the example of domestic industry enterprises and their business models.

The article discusses issues related to the circular economy ideas applied to post-industrial facilities and infrastructure in Polish coal-mining areas. The aim of the article is to indicate directions for sustainability-oriented actions on reusing the remnants of closed mining plants and reshaping the areas which will be transformed under the just transition principles. For this purpose, the article reviews the terminology related to inventories of such facilities and their classification, and also indicates some locations of such facilities. The authors discuss the problem of legal regulations related to the process of closing a mining plant in Poland and also to EU guidelines on the allocation of financial resources from the Just Transition Fund (addressing the EU coal industry, climate change and the potential for clean energy solutions). This research aims at reviewing current research on the above aspects and at raising the problem of managing post-industrial facilities in light of their discontinued function due to mine closure. The article offers a preliminary diagnosis of the scale of research required to investigate the above problems in the view of the expected coal-exit in the Polish economy.