Natural organic chelating agents take part in the mobilization and translocation of heavy metals in unpolluted and polluted soils. They also have to be considered as possible extracting agents for the decontamination of heavy metal polluted soils. For an assessment of the desorption capability of glycinc, heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) were adsorbed onto typical soil components (bentonite and peat). The metal loaded sorbents were resuspended in aqueous solutions of glycine at pH 7.0 and 4.5 and the quantities of the desorbed metals were analysed in the liquid phase. Furthermore, the dependency of the desorption rate on the duration of experiments and the metal content were investigated. The remobilization of heavy metals from bentonite by glycine at pH 7.0 decreases following the order Cu > Ni > Zn > Cd > Pb and ranges from 95% to 9.5%. The desorption rate was significantly lower at pH 4.5 and in suspensions of peat.