The nation’s largest retail chain, Walmart, has been accused of illegally dumping hazardous waste and customers’ sensitive personal information across California for years, jeopardizing public health, state officials announced this week.
In a news release dated October 22, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office stated that Walmart has been ordered to pay $7.5 million to multiple California agencies after allegedly engaging in this activity over a seven-year period. A February 2022 complaint filed in the Alameda County Superior Court claims that the issue extends well beyond the Bay Area, alleging that items such as batteries and medical waste were “picked up for disposal and destined for a municipal landfill not authorized to receive” such materials. While the precise figures are unclear, the complaint suggests that Walmart may have improperly dumped as many as 6.3 million items over a five-year span.
The multimillion-dollar settlement was reached after several district attorney’s offices across the state conducted 70 “covert waste inspections” from 2015 to 2021. Investigators uncovered “hundreds of containers of toxic aerosols and liquid wastes,” including spray paints, rust removers, bleach, and pesticides. They also found over-the-counter medications and instances of “private consumer information,” although the Alameda County attorney’s office did not provide further details by the time of publication.
“The unlawful disposal of hazardous and medical waste creates an environmental hazard and public health threat,” stated Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho in the October 22 news release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. In addition to the $7.5 million in civil penalties and costs, Walmart is required to hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct three annual waste audits at its California facilities over the next four years.
“Large corporations must be held accountable when they do not follow the law and put the health and safety of Alameda County residents at risk,” said District Attorney Pamela Price in the release. “I commend my office’s Consumer Justice Bureau for its active involvement in this investigation, which helped bring this settlement forward and hold Walmart accountable.”
In response, Walmart’s press representative, Kelly Hellbusch, told SFGATE, “We are pleased that the state of California recognizes in this settlement that Walmart’s goal is to advance the protection of the health and safety of the people of California and the protection of the environment.”
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