The world’s most profitable retailer has been ordered to pay approximately $7.5 million in penalties for violating environmental regulations regarding the disposal of toxic and medical waste.
Walmart has agreed to pay civil penalties and costs to settle a lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General’s Office, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and District Attorneys from 12 counties.
The settlement was agreed to on Tuesday and is expected to soon be signed by a judge in Alameda County.
The lawsuit stemmed from allegations that Walmart improperly disposed of hazardous waste and medical waste at more than 300 of its California stores and distribution centers.
Dozens of statewide audits conducted from 2015 to 2021 found that Walmart illegally disposed of the sensitive waste in regular trash bins and then took those bins to local landfills not equipped to handle the materials. Regulators said the retail giant was legally required to store, transport and dispose of the hazardous waste exclusively at facilities approved to handle it.
The hazardous waste included toxic aerosols and liquid wastes like spray paints, rust removers, bleach and pesticides. Medical waste, including over-the counter drugs, were among the products improperly disposed of at the unapproved facilities.
Per the terms of the settlement, Walmart will be ordered to pay about $4.3 million in civil penalties and $3.2 million to recoup costs.
Walmart is also required to hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct annual waste audits at its California facilities three times a year for the next four years.
According to officials, this isn’t the first case levied against Walmart for its improper disposal of hazardous waste.
The company had previously been found to have made similar violations in 2010, and was placed on an eight-year injunction that prohibited it from the unlawful disposal of the hazardous materials. Despite that previous order, “Walmart continued to violate the law which resulted
in this second lawsuit,” officials said.
The lawsuit against Walmart included the participation of several D.A.’s offices across the state, including Alameda, Fresno, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Solano, Tulare and Yolo counties.
Locally, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said the County would receive $144,000 in civil penalties and $26,000 in reimbursement between the County and its Department of Environmental Health.
There are 33 retail stores and distribution centers in Riverside County, officials added.
