More and more people have become aware of environmental concerns in all aspects of living. Governments are doing their best to regulate environmental concerns in every industry, especially in construction.
When we think about construction, many people believe that construction projects have a considerable impact on the environment and cause a lot of damage due to factors like materials used, on-site disposal of waste, air pollution, and high carbon footprint.
As the issues of the world’s climate are becoming more pronounced than ever, we must acknowledge the way the construction processes can impact our environment, regardless of whether it’s a new build or existing properties. For this reason, now more than ever before, it’s crucial to keep construction projects as environmentally friendly as possible and minimize any negative impacts.
Below, we look at some of the ways to keep the environment around your construction sites intact.
Spill Containment and Waste Disposal
Construction companies must be aware of the danger of spills for their workplace and the environment as they’re prone to chemical run-offs. Spills are usually inevitable and require special equipment to collect any hazardous leaks.
Besides using appropriate containment and devices to prevent spills of dangerous chemicals, companies should consider using a secondary containment option like a spill control berm which is designed to keep everyone on the construction site safe and prevent the spread of toxic substances into the soil or groundwater in the event of a spill or leak.
Demolition waste makes up most of the total debris. The majority of this waste is disposed of through incineration or in landfills, both of these methods being harmful to the environment. However, by salvaging, reusing, or recycling materials, construction companies can save a lot of money and cut down on materials that harm the environment. In addition, they can also be used for future projects or given to those who might need them.
Use Sustainable Building Materials
One of the best ways to make the construction site environmentally friendly is to use sustainable building materials that are also often less expensive than traditional ones. This means that you can reduce overall costs. Such building materials include geotextiles and different crop-made products, concrete reinforced with natural fibers, such as coir, sisal, bamboo, date, husk, pineapple, and flax which are widely applicable for mechanical, materials, and construction sectors.
Always look for products that reduce the environmental impact of specific parts of your construction operations.
Consider More Efficient Transport
You must make sure to think about how much energy you’re using for transport as construction transport can account for a significant amount of your carbon emissions during the construction phase. As construction transport leaves a large carbon footprint, you must try and reduce it by managing your fleet more efficiently.
You should also consider what the best routes are to take so that you can decrease your journey time and distance where it’s possible to do so. Also, strive to source materials locally and use consolidation centers to increase the sustainability of your construction operation and the site.
Seek Sustainable Suppliers
When you work with various suppliers on your projects, it can become a difficult task to keep your construction site emissions to a minimum. However, by searching for suppliers that also make sustainable practices their priority, you can feel at ease and know that everyone on your site is working in an eco-friendly way.
The best way to see whether a potential supplier can back your efforts is to review their environmental policy at the pre-qualification stage. Find suppliers that go beyond the basic environmental policy and target things like transport planning, waste reduction, and raw material reduction.
Use the Power of People
The key to an effective environmental initiative is having the whole workforce contribute to it. Everyone should have a clear understanding of their role and be motivated enough to play their part. However, the management must set clear guidelines so the employees know exactly the goals they’re working towards.
The best way to ensure that employers are accountable for their sustainable actions is to order inspections at every stage of the construction process and stay on track of what’s going on and identify potential issues at an early stage.
Let employees know where they can improve and do things differently and provide actionable advice at each stage of the construction process.
Final Thoughts
Today, creating energy-efficient buildings is essential, but so is having construction companies that are fully aware of the negative impact construction works can have on the environment as such buildings are built.
Spill containment, waste disposal, recycling, efficient transport, and working with sustainable suppliers can all make a huge difference in the impact of the environment around your construction site.
