If you intend to construct a building, it's important to be aware of the environmental impact the construction process may have and to take steps to minimise the damage your activities cause to the environment. Here are two ways to do this.

Implement erosion and sediment control measures

Eroded soil particles, small rocks, rubbish and silt that are present on a building plot can be loosened and moved around by construction work. If these particles are allowed to wash away from the site and end up entering nearby lakes, rivers and streams, they can cause sediment pollution. In addition to inflicting serious harm on aquatic and plant life, sediment pollution can also block public drainage systems and lead to flooding.

As such, it is important to implement erosion and sediment control measures to prevent your construction activities from polluting the nearby waterways. It is best to consult a professional who specialises in this type of work to assist you with taking the necessary preventative measures.

The consultant that you hire may recommend installing things like silt fences around the building site's drains and its perimeters to filter out loose particles. Additionally, they may instruct you to plant strips of vegetated buffers (comprised of trees, shrubs and grass) around the perimeters of the site; these buffers will trap eroded soil particles and other debris before it can reach any adjacent body of water.

Try to minimise and manage the waste that is generated by the construction work

Construction projects involve the use of large quantities of materials; this, in turn, means that they tend to generate a great deal of waste. This waste can have a very negative impact on the environment. Throwing construction materials such as scraps of lead pipe, half-used bottles of solvents, metals, plastic and timber into a landfill can not only lead to an increase in carbon emissions, but it can also cause soil and water pollution.

Given this, you should take steps to reduce the amount of waste generated by your construction activities and carefully the manage the waste that you cannot avoid creating.

There are quite a few ways to do this. To keep your waste production to a minimum, make sure to only order the exact amounts of materials that you need. If you order too much and cannot return the excess items, they will probably end up in a landfill.

Additionally, consider putting a skip on site, which is to be used solely for recyclable waste, such as timber, cardboard packaging and glass. Then, send the contents of this skip to a recycling centre.

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