By james art Mega retailer Walmart Inc. agreed to pay $7.5 million and improve waste disposal practices under a settlement stemming from a lawsuit filed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and other agencies after the corporation was caught dumping hazardous products in landfills, it was announced Tuesday.
The anticipated settlement between Walmart, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the district attorneys’ offices of Alameda, Fresno, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Solano, Tulare and Yolo is expected to be signed by Alameda County Superior Court judge before the end of the month.
The civil suit stems from a series of audits conducted at Walmart stores between 2015 and 2021 that revealed instances in which hazardous waste was “illegally disposed of … in regular trash cans and illegally transported to local landfills where are not permitted to accept such waste products,” according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
There are 33 Walmart stores and distribution centers throughout the county.
“Hazardous waste includes — but is not limited to — hundreds of containers of toxic aerosols and liquid waste, including spray paint, rust removers, bleach, pesticides, and medical waste, such as over-the-counter drugs,” the agency said.
Walmart was previously sued by some of the plaintiffs in 2010 for related violations, prosecutors said. Instead of adhering to a number of reform measures, the corporation’s employees are repeating the same illegal practices, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“We are pleased that California recognizes in this agreement that Walmart’s goal is to ‘improve the protection of the health and safety of the people of California and the protection of the environment,'” according to a statement released by Walmart to City News Service.
“The fact that the settlement agreement requires Walmart to ‘maintain’ our existing waste compliance program is a testament to the strength of the compliance program we have built, and the settlement agreement itself recognizes that Walmart’s program is extremely effective in keeping suspected hazardous waste out of public landfills,” the company said. “We appreciate that government agencies have recognized that Walmart is committed to protecting both the environment and people.”
Prosecutors said that under the settlement, Walmart will have to pay $4.29 million in civil penalties, as well as $3.2 million in reimbursement of legal costs incurred by the counties. Riverside County’s share of the payout will total $170,000.
“The settlement also imposes injunctive terms that will require Walmart to hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct three annual rounds of waste audits at its facilities throughout California over the next four years,” the DA’s office said.