Before confident guidelines for disposal of potentially hazardous waste constituents can be established, a knowledge of a multitude of factors influencing metal migration rates in soils is necessary. Research identifying the principal soil factors has been published, and the movement of trace metals in soils is described as a statistical function of specific properties of the soil medium. The necessity of characterizing the three main site‐disposal environments as to (a) soil, (b) leaching solution, and (c) specific polluting constituent also has been established and is discussed. Prominent soil parameters influencing attenuation components are (a) clay content, (b) silt content, (c) presence of lime, (d) pH level, and (e) hydrous oxides of Fe, Mn, and Al. With these and other known parameters, certain soil modifications and low‐cost liners for disposal sites are suggested. All sites require modification if migration of pollutants is to be retarded and prevented from reaching underground water sources or finding their way into the food chain. Ways in which the soil may be modified to minimize movement of pollutants from solid waste operations are recommended on a practical field‐operation basis.