By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -Walmart will pay $7.5 million to resolve charges that the largest U.S. retailer illegally disposed of hazardous and medical waste from its facilities into California municipal landfills. The settlement was announced on Tuesday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, following more than 70 audits by local authorities of waste that Walmart […]
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Walmart to pay $7.5 million to resolve California hazardous waste charges
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By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -Walmart will pay $7.5 million to resolve charges that the largest U.S. retailer illegally disposed of hazardous and medical waste from its facilities into California municipal landfills.
The settlement was announced on Tuesday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, following more than 70 audits by local authorities of waste that Walmart sent to the landfills between 2015 and 2021.
Bonta said the audits found 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.
He also said Walmart regularly failed to protect customers’ personal identifying information by disposing of customer records without first making the information impossible to read.
Without admitting wrongdoing, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer agreed to pay a $4.3 million civil fine plus $3.2 million to cover legal costs.
It also agreed to hire an independent auditor to conduct waste audits at its California facilities over the next four years.
Walmart has 309 stores, including Sam’s Clubs in the state, according to its website.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit that California filed in February 2022 and requires court approval.
Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Aurora Ellis)