It is of course a massive open pit mine and they do indeed scrape off a lot of dirt to get the stuff, low grade that it is. (realclimate.org)
That waste, which contains microbes that can make humans sick, is collected in open pits or sprayed on fields as fertilizer, risking contamination of the air, water, and soil. (sciencemag.org)
But more often, workers fill open pits with crude oil and light them on fire. (discovermagazine.com)