After 300 years of industrial activity, hundreds of hectares of land, particularly in the Lower Swansea Valley and docks area, were left contaminated with chemical and metal pollutants. Over recent decades, what was one of the most polluted areas in Europe has been reclaimed for commercial and recreational use. There is understandable pressure to return brownfield sites into residential or commercial use but this must be done in a way which ensures that public health risks are minimised and the cost of decontamination and appropriate disposal of harmful waste is taken into account. The surveying of contaminated sites needs to be completed and details made publicly available.

Building developments and poor agricultural practices can have detrimental effects on soil quality, and climate change may result in increased risk of erosion. Greater understanding is needed about how to manage soil effectively so that its quality and organic content can be protected and improved for future generations. Minerals and aggregates are extracted from the land and seabed to support construction and some manufacturing processes but this can have adverse impacts on the environment and communities. These impacts require careful monitoring and control to ensure that resource needs are balanced with the protection of marine and terrestrial habitats, coastlines and landscapes. Where there is doubt about the possible effects of mineral extraction, the precautionary principle should be applied. Resource efficiency and the reuse of demolition materials and other wastes are important ways to reduce our dependency on quarrying or dredging for raw materials.