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Paper short abstract:

Unwanted earth materials from industrialized construction are reused for the construction of parks and leisure areas. I trace threads of soil disposal focusing on the construction of geoengineered landfill hills and discuss entrenched extractive economic models.

Paper long abstract:

Wet clayey soils, sulfur-rich ground, contaminated sediments, and other unwanted earth materials are reused for the construction of parks and leisure areas. The reuse of these soils is seen as an essential part of more sustainable construction and the development of circular solutions generates opportunities for the construction industry to capitalize on voluminous flows of removed earth materials. However, these geoengineered landscapes reflect a narrow vision of the economy—a certain way to live and make a living with our environmental commons. This paper traces threads of soil disposal in the south of Finland, with a focus on landfill hills turned into recreational areas. Landfill hills have been receiving hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of surplus soil from construction sites. Such projects have also enabled the concealing of large volumes of earth materials. They have been careful designs of layering and sealing challenging soils into place. Yet, existing practices of control only temporarily and partially minimize the risk of harmful substances leaking or leaching into the environment over time. Additionally, increasing industrialized activities and the intensification of capital-seeking investment result in more soil being removed and land amputated. I suggest that investigating soils in disposal is significant in that it highlights the materiality of entrenched extractive models and problematic infrastructural systems. The paper concludes with a discussion on how surplus soils have been entangled in industrialized construction, and gestures toward diverse economies thinking, grappling with the challenges, paradoxes, and systemic complexities that are involved in efforts to activate post-extractive narratives.