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According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Walmart consistently violates the rules regarding the disposal of hazardous waste. It concerns products such as batteries, cleaning products and used electronic appliances.
1 million items
The supermarket chain is said to illegally dump more than one million harmful products – such as batteries, cans of insect killer, toxic cleaning supplies, electronic waste and latex paint – into landfills in California every year, Bonta says. “When a big box store disposes of unwanted goods, just like the rest of us, they need to do so properly. Unfortunately, Walmart, the largest company in the world by revenue, has failed to do that on a grand scale here in California”, Bonta stated.
It is not the first time Walmart has been involved in a waste scandal: in 2010, the chain with more than 300 stores in California already settled a similar dispute. At the time, the retailer paid damages of 25 million dollars and also promised to stop illegal dumping immediately. In 2012, Walmart also reached a settlement with the authorities in the state of Missouri, The Guardian reports.
Beyond what is required by law
Spokesperson Randy Hargrove already referred to the new charges as “unjustified” and said Walmart would challenge them. He also stated that California’s waste disposal requirements go beyond what is required by law. “Our compactors are far cleaner than the state average.”
According to Bonta, the inspections revealed that Walmart illegally dumps nearly eighty tons of potentially hazardous waste annually. “It’s not rocket science”, Bonta said. “You can’t be sending these hazardous waste products into the general stream of sanitation. It’s dangerous, it’s unhealthy.”
