Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human activities and their misuse of land

resources. It occurs when waste is not disposed properly. Health hazard disposal of urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution.

Increased mechanization
The major increase in the concentration of population in cities has led to increased number of roads and all the infrastructure that goes with it. As the demand for food has grown exponentially with the increase of the human population, there is an increase in field size and mechanization. The increase in field size makes it economically viable for the farmer but results in loss of person and shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear. When crops are harvested, the naked soil is left open to wind after it has been compacted by heavy machinery. Another consequence of more intensive agriculture is the move to monoculture. This is unnatural, will deplete the soil of nutrients, allows diseases and pests to spread and, as it happens, it quickly exhausts all the natural resources in an area, causing the introduction of chemical fertilizers and foreign substances to the soil that poisons it. The chemical fertilizers in the soil cause its infertility.

Mining

Modern mining projects leave behind disrupted communities, damaged landscapes, and polluted water. Mining also affects ground and surface waters, the aquatic life, vegetation, soils, animals, and the human health. Acid mine drainage can cause damage to streams which in return can kill aquatic life. The vast variety of toxic chemicals released by mining activities can harm animals and aquatic life as well as their habitat.

Mining gas and petroleum also pollutes the land.Opencast mining, which is a process where the surface of the earth is dug open to bring out the underground mineral deposits, destroys the topsoil and contaminates the area with toxic metals and chemicals.

Prevention
Recycle waste materials. As explained by the Stanford Recycling Center, each American throws away 7 1/2 lbs. of garbage. Garbage requires land fills, which takes up large amounts of land. Buy organics products, especially organic cleaners, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. The advantage of using organic products is that they are biodegradable and friendly to the environment. Avoid littering. Excessive littering is one of most common reasons for land pollution.

Find land far away from natural environments to dump wastes that cannot be disposed of and are essential to industrial processes.

Improve fertility of the land by reforesting. Soil in forested lands are far more fertile than soil without trees, suggesting that trees have the ability to fertilize land.