By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-24 16:27:33 | Updated at 2024-10-24 18:26:13
2 hours ago
Walmart has been slapped with a fine for illegally dumping 400 tons of hazardous and medical waste into California landfills.
A review by the district attorneys' offices revealed that the waste consisted of 'thousands of containers of toxic aerosols and liquid wastes, including spray paints, rust removers, bleach, pesticides and medical waste, such as over-the-counter drugs.'
These dangerous materials were dumped in landfills across 12 counties, including San Diego, Orange and Riverside.
Such toxins can leak into drinking water or fill the air with toxins, causing cancers, respiratory conditions and birth defects.
Due to the health hazards, California officials said the fines are due to Walmart's 'mismanagement of hazardous wastes [that] can result in fires and injuries.'
The retail giant has long touted its focus on climate, nature and waste, but the incident and serval others in the past appears to contradict its eco-friendly claims.
Walmart has not stated why its facilities dumped the waste, but companies have taken this route to avoid fees and taxes that come with proper disposals.
The settlement comes on the heels of another shocking Walmart scandal that saw the end of a teenaged employee's life when she was 'baked to death' inside one of the store's industrial ovens Saturday.
Walmart has been slapped with a $7.5 million fine for illegally dumping 400 tons of hazardous waste and medical waste into California landfills from 2016 to 2021
'Walmart's illegal disposal of hazardous and medical waste not only violated California laws, but, if left unchecked, posed a threat to human health and the environment,' the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta stated Tuesday.
The judgement settles a lawsuit brought against Walmart by Attorney General Bonta and the district attorneys of 12 counties in December 2021.
From 2015 to 2021, the state of California did 70 inspections of waste that Walmart stores sent to municipal landfills.
The investigation found that the company illegally dumped a variety of hazardous materials and chemicals from 2016 to 2021.
The company owns more than 300 stores in the state of California - 33 in Riverside county alone.
This dumping allegedly violated the Hazardous Waste Control Law, Medical Waste Management Act, and Unfair Competition Law, Bonta's office said.
If an Alameda County Superior Court judge approves the settlement, Walmart - which turned over $648 billion in revenue this year - will pay $4.3 million in civil penalties and $3.2 million in reimbursements to the state of California.
The settlement also requires the company to hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct three annual rounds of waste audits at its California facilities over the next four years.
Although Walmart agreed to the settlement, it did not admit to any wrongdoing, the LA Times reported.
An investigation found that Walmart had unlawfully disposed of materials that are hazardous to human and environmental health, including toxic aerosols and over the counter drugs
The settlement also states that the company has compliance programs in place to deal with state laws regarding the disposal of hazardous waste.
'The fact that the settlement agreement requires Walmart to 'maintain' our pre-existing waste compliance program is a testament to the strength of the compliance program we have built,' Walmart said in a statement.
'The settlement agreement itself recognizes that Walmart's program is extremely effective at keeping allegedly hazardous waste out of public landfills,' the company added.
Walmart did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
This isn't the first time that the superstore brand has been penalized for illegal dumping.
A 2010 settlement required Walmart to to pay $27.6 million for disposing of hazardous waste in San Diego County.
At that time, the company also agreed to halt its unlawful waste disposals.
Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died in the Halifax Walmart she worked at in Nova Scotia on the evening of October 19
Walmart also paid $1.25 million to Missouri in 2012 to settle a similar lawsuit.
And in 2013, the company pled guilty to negligently discharging a pollutant into drains in 16 California counties, agreeing to an $81 million settlement that also included charges in Missouri.
The tragic death of a young Walmart employee has brought the superstore brand under even more scrutiny this week.
Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died in the Halifax superstore she worked at in Nova Scotia on the evening of October 19.
She was found inside an oven in the bakery section of Walmart, where she had worked for two years alongside her mother, who was on shift with her at the time.
Her mother had been frantically searching for her inside the store when, according to a new GoFundMe raising money for the family, she was confronted with 'leakage' coming from the closed oven.
A family spokesperson has since said Gursimran's relatives are crushed by her tragic death.
