Changing rainfall patterns detrimentally affect geotechnical systems, which are intimately linked to the quality of the environment. This paper outlines concerns for the future stability of landfills, tailings and tips, particularly those systems which were not subjected to rigorous analysis and design. Outline geotechnical analysis is presented to show that even systems which were originally designed to comply with the then-current standards may not function properly in the future, as a result of changes to groundwater regimes.