Homeowner outraged as nearby construction project impacts entire neighborhood: 'It's everywhere'

Messy construction can lead to a range of issues for people in the vicinity and the wider environment. An outraged homeowner posted images on Reddit of the infuriating effects construction was having on their neighborhood.

"Condo under construction next door is littering the neighbourhood in Styrofoam," wrote the homeowner before sharing images of the offending styrofoam covering grassy lawns and storm drains near their home in Ontario, Canada.

The homeowner explained that it had been like this since the snow melted, and no one seemed to want to do anything about it. "I've complained to the local ward councilor, the mayor, environmental agencies, local news. No one cares. It's everywhere and the builders don't care," the homeowner added.

Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and can persist in the environment for centuries, where it leaches harmful chemicals. If not disposed of properly, it can also enter waterways through storm drains and land runoff, where it can easily break into smaller pieces. This can make it difficult to clean up and poses a threat to wildlife.

The building and construction industry is a big polluter, contributing approximately 37% of the world's air pollution, according to the U.N.'s Environment Programme. Messy construction makes this pollution worse and has a big impact on people living nearby. Using climate-friendly construction materials can help reduce this.

Some exciting innovations and materials are under development that can help make our homes more sustainable and contribute to cleaner construction. For example, the use of dowel-laminated timber to construct taller wooden buildings more sustainably is being studied. These methods promote forest health while also helping develop low-carbon architecture.

Many commenters were outraged that the contractors had been allowed to get away with leaving this much pollution.

One suggested to the homeowner that they needed to keep making a fuss so that more people would join in the fight. They wrote, "Make it public everywhere you can. More people need to complain."

While another sympathized with the poster, writing, "That stuff is a pet hate of mine. Environmental nightmare, also alarmingly easy to inhale or swallow and doesn't show up on x-ray."

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