California reaches $7.5 million settlement with Walmart over hazardous and medical waste

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Walmart will pay $7.5 million in civil penalties and costs in a settlement with California prosecutors who alleged the retail corporation unlawfully disposed hazardous waste and medical waste from their facilities statewide in city landfills.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the settlement Tuesday, saying the resolution to the lawsuit will ensure Walmart’s hazardous waste is handled and disposed of as required by law.

“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,” Bonta said in a news release. “As a result of this investigation and lawsuit, Walmart has taken significant steps to prevent such disposals from happening in the future.”

The settlement is the result of more than 70 waste audits conducted by the district attorneys’ offices statewide and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

During the audits, the district attorneys’ offices reviewed the contents of waste that Walmart had sent from its facilities to city landfills. Authorities found thousands of containers of toxic aerosols and liquid wastes including spray paint, rust remover, bleach, pesticides and medical waste, such as over-the-counter drugs, according to the attorney general’s office.

In response to the announcement of the settlement, Walmart representatives said they are pleased state officials recognize that Walmart’s goal is to advance the protection of the health and safety of Californians and the environment.

“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, and the settlement agreement itself recognizes that Walmart’s program is extremely effective at keeping allegedly hazardous waste out of public landfills,” Walmart representatives said in a written statement. “We appreciate that the government agencies have recognized that Walmart strives to safeguard both the environment and the people of California.”

The settlement also contains injunctive terms that 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, according to the attorney general’s office.

Walmart’s auditor must use specific requirements set forth in the settlement to ensure the waste “is thoroughly and accurately reviewed and characterized,” state prosecutors said. The audit results must be shared with the attorney general’s office, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control and the district attorneys involved in this settlement.

Joining in the announcement of the settlement were the district attorneys in Sacramento, Yolo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Fresno, Solano, Tulare, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

“The unlawful disposing of hazardous and medical waste creates an environmental hazard and public health threat,” Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said in the news release. “This case is another example of how the District Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office can work together to protect our environment and ensure that environmental laws are followed.”

The state prosecutors said the unlawful disposals at the city landfills were alleged to have violated the Hazardous Waste Control Law, Medical Waste Management Act and Unfair Competition Law.

“Holding Walmart accountable for this violation of improper hazardous waste disposal sends a clear message: all corporations must adhere to the environmental laws that protect Californians, without exception,” Katherine M. Butler, director of DTSC, said in the news release. “This settlement emphasizes the strength of our law enforcement partnerships across all levels of government and DTSC’s commitment to holding any and all violators responsible.”

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