- California's attorney general is suing Walmart, saying the company illegally dumps toxic waste.
- The state estimates more than a million items are disposed, with a combined weight of 159,600 pounds.
- The company says the state's compliance demands go beyond what is required by law.
The state of California has filed a lawsuit against Walmart, saying that the mega-retailer is responsible for illegally dumping thousands of tons of hazardous materials in local landfills across the state, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Monday.
Joined by 12 district attorneys and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, the complaint alleges that Walmart violated environmental laws and regulations in discarding materials at sites that were not equipped to handle toxic or hazardous items.
"When one person throws out a battery or half-empty hairspray bottle, we may think that it's no big deal," Bonta said. "But when we're talking about tens of thousands of batteries, cleaning supplies, and other hazardous waste, the impact to our environment and our communities can be huge."
In a statement to Insider, Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said the state's compliance demands go beyond what is required by law and that the company intends to fight the suit.
Using estimates from internal Walmart waste audits, the Department of Justice says the company discards over a million items each year, weighing in at a combined 159,600 pounds.
The waste has included alkaline and lithium batteries, insect killer sprays and other pesticides, aerosol cans, toxic cleaning supplies, electronic waste, latex paints, and LED lightbulbs, according to the suit.
Walmart operates more than 300 stores and distribution centers in the state, and the company says that state environmental regulators have carried out more than 3,800 inspections of its facilities since 2010 and have not imposed any fines.
In addition, Walmart said audits of its trash compactors have shown the company to have just a fraction (0.4%) of the statewide average (3%) of "items of potential concern" in its waste stream.
The California lawsuit also alleges that Walmart does not do enough to eliminate personally identifying information on certain products that get thrown into its trash streams.
Walmart was previously the defendant in a 2010 environmental lawsuit concerning the disposal of bleach, pesticides, and other hazardous materials. The company agreed at the time to pay $24.7 million in civil penalties, as well as additional fees and costs.
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