Other Wastes and Pollutants in Soil

The dumping of wastes at landfill sites is a widespread practice. Indeed, many old sites can be regarded as ecological time bombs. Hazardous substances in landfills are typically mixed with 

On the other hand, there is the question of disposal of domestic and general industrial wastes. There are toxic wastes which require more careful handling. Of particular concern are radioactive wastes from nuclear power stations. With the latter, there are stringent regulations for safe disposal to minimize contamination of the land surface and neighboring surface waters. 

Lastly, non-ionic organic pollutants can also adsorb onto soil from water. This constitutes a major process in pollutant transport/mobility in subsurface environments. Both the organic fraction of soils and the clay minerals can play key roles as adsorption sites. 

---