Walmart fined for illegally dumping toxic waste in California – amid oven death scandal

Walmart has been fined for illegally dumping 400 tons of hazardous and medical waste in California landfills.

An investigation by prosecutors found that the waste consisted of “thousands of containers containing toxic aerosols and liquid waste, including spray paints, rust removers, bleach, pesticides and medical waste, such as over-the-counter drugs.”

These hazardous materials were dumped in landfills in twelve counties, including San Diego, Orange and Riverside.

Such toxins can leak into drinking water or fill the air with toxins, causing cancers, respiratory diseases and birth defects.

Because of the health risks, California officials said the fines are due to Walmart’s “mismanagement of hazardous waste.” [that] could lead to fire and injury.’

The retail giant has long touted its focus on climate, nature and waste, but the incident and many previous incidents appear to contradict its eco-friendly claims.

Walmart has not explained why its facilities dumped the waste, but companies have gone this route to avoid the fees and taxes associated with proper disposal.

The settlement follows another shocking Walmart scandal that ended the life of a teenage employee Saturday when she was “baked to death” in one of the store’s industrial ovens.

“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,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday.

The ruling settles a lawsuit filed against Walmart in December 2021 by Attorney General Bonta and the district attorneys of twelve provinces.

From 2015 to 2021, the state of California conducted 70 inspections of waste that Walmart stores sent to municipal landfills.

The investigation found that the company illegally dumped a variety of hazardous materials and chemicals between 2016 and 2021.

The company owns more than 300 stores in the state of California, including 33 in Riverside County alone.

This dumping would violate the Hazardous Waste Control Act, the Medical Waste Management Act and the Unfair Competition Act, Bonta’s office said.

If an Alameda County Superior Court judge approves the settlement, Walmart — which generated more than $648 billion in revenue this year — will pay $4.3 million in civil penalties and $3.2 million in restitution to the state of California.

The settlement also requires the company to hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct three annual rounds of waste audits at its California facilities over the next four years.

Although Walmart agreed to the settlement, the company did not admit to any wrongdoing LA times reported.

An investigation found that Walmart unlawfully disposed of materials hazardous to human health and the environment, including toxic aerosol cans and over-the-counter medications

The settlement also states that the company has established compliance programs to comply with state laws regarding hazardous waste disposal.

“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,” Walmart said in a statement.

“The settlement agreement itself recognizes that Walmart’s program is extremely effective in keeping allegedly hazardous waste from public landfills,” the company added.

Walmart did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

This isn’t the first time the superstore brand has been punished for illegal dumping.

Under a 2010 settlement, Walmart had to pay $27.6 million to dispose of hazardous waste in San Diego County.

At that time, the company also agreed to stop illegal waste disposal.

Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died at the Halifax Walmart where she worked in Nova Scotia on the evening of October 19

Walmart also paid $1.25 million to Missouri in 2012 to settle a similar lawsuit.

And in 2013, the company pleaded guilty to negligently discharging a pollutant into sewers in 16 California counties and agreed to an $81 million settlement that also included charges in Missouri.

The tragic death of a young Walmart employee has put the superstore brand under even more scrutiny this week.

Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died at the Halifax superstore where she worked in Nova Scotia on the evening of October 19.

She was found in an oven in the bakery section of Walmart, where she had worked for two years with her mother, who was working her shift at the time.

Her mother was frantically looking for her in the store at the time, according to a new report GoFundMe to raise money for the family, she was confronted with ‘leakage’ coming from the closed oven.

A family spokesman has since said Gursimran’s relatives are devastated by her tragic death.