California is Suing Walmart Over Alleged Improper Disposal of E-waste and Other Hazardous Materials (theverge.com) 39
The California attorney general and 12 state officials have filed a lawsuit against Walmart, saying it allegedly illegally disposed of electronic and hazardous waste, compromising local landfills. From a report: California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleges in a statement the company violated state environmental laws with their practices, and the waste included materials like lithium and alkaline batteries, insect killer sprays, aerosol cans, LED lightbulbs, and more. State investigators conducted 58 inspections across 13 counties from 2015 to 2021 and said they found classified hazardous and medical waste in each store's trash compactors, as well as customer information that should have been rendered indecipherable. The California DOJ estimates that Walmart's unlawfully disposed waste totals 159,600 pounds or more than 1 million items each year. "We have met with the state numerous times to walk them through our industry-leading hazardous waste compliance programs in an effort to avoid litigation, but instead, they filed this unjustified lawsuit," Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said in a statement. "The state is demanding a level of compliance regarding waste disposal from our stores of common house-hold products and other items that goes beyond what is required by law. We intend to defend this company."
Same trick Wells Fargo used (Score:5, Interesting)
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Yes. That is how laws work. You should read one some time.
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This comes as no surprise. Frequently stores like Walmart that are larger than a corner store, just have one large garbage compactor in the back that "everything" goes in. That includes everything from medical biohazards, mercury-filled light bulbs, rotting food, damaged goods, returned goods, batteries, and so forth. They go directly to landfills.
Oh and it gets so much worse. You know that "faint smell of rotting food" you smell when you enter grocery stores? That is coming directly from the compactor whic
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You know that "faint smell of rotting food" you smell when you enter grocery stores?
No, I don't because I wouldn't continue shopping in a grocery store that has a smell of rotting food (assuming I ever entered one like that). Where the hell do you shop for groceries?
Should have .. (Score:2)
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have a homeless encampment do processing to extract silver and gold from old electronics
Explains the homeless camp fires where a dozen propane tanks in a tent explode. I was wondering what they were smelting in there.
Mods what are you smoking (Score:1)
This idea is brilliant and those who down-mod my post lack vision, also I feel they hate the homeless as they are trying to prevent them from a great opportunity.
but we're over regulated ! (Score:4, Insightful)
said every company ever
over regulated, but under prosecuted
companies now know that they can tie things up in court for a long time and most, very, most importantly, the executives know they are not going to jail.
The CA attorney general will get a fine levied, and all too small fine, put the fact that he went after them on his resume and nobody will go to jail.
And every single manager of every single store that did this knew it was illegal, as did their bosses that were nudge-nudge-winking them to get them to do it.
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Like medical waste?
Re: but we're over regulated ! (Score:2)
I wasn't aware there were medical offices inside a Walmart.
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Is anybody going to tell him where soylent comes from?
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So when I blow my nose at work and drop the tissue in the trash bin, I'm improperly disposing of "medical waste" and my employer could be sued?
And when a shopper drops their used bandage in the trash receptical, same thing? The store owner can get sued?
I have to believe even California has a higher threshold for "medical waste".
Re: but we're over regulated ! (Score:2)
There's apparently no chance that random, low-paid Walmart employees were improperly tossing spray cans, customer paperwork, and broken electronics in the trash/dumpsters? No, it was the evil corporation.
I wonder what would happen if you checked an equal number of private residences or state offices and analyzed their residential trash - I bet you'd find empty spray cans, dead batteries and broken electronics in their trash also...
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over regulated, but under prosecuted
Which is a recipe for insuring businesses in competitive markets
to violate the regulations. (Otherwise they go under due to competition from those that DO violate the regulations, leaving only regulation violators in business.)
That's why, for instance, nearly all home repair/improvement contractors use "undocumented" non-citizen labor: If they paid the minimum that citizens or fully-documented guest workers could by law accept (and could sue to obtain if they worked for
California vs. Wal-Mart? (Score:2)
No matter who loses, we win.
(Alien vs. Predator joke)
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It’s funny how bad republicans hate California. The state is a massive example of capitalism backed by strong worker protections. It’s economy is larger than the majority of countries. But all they can do is point out the problems. Meanwhile California funds all the poor red states like Kentucky.
Re: California vs. Wal-Mart? (Score:2)
It was great to see Californians cry when they watched their federal SALT tax deductions shrink, forcing them to actually pay their fair share of federal income taxes, rather than deduct all their CA state and local property taxes from their federal returns.
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Wow (Score:2)
State investigators conducted 58 inspections across 13 counties from 2015 to 2021 and said they found classified hazardous and medical waste in each store's trash compactors, as well as customer information that should have been rendered indecipherable.
That's it? After rooting through Walmart dumpsters for 6-7 years?
Maybe go fish through a few other corporations dumpsters over such an extended period and what they do before you claim Walmart is bad. I suspect they are better than a lot of large organizations (like Target, Big Lots, grocery store chains, auto repair chains, etc.)
But, you know, I guess we have to hold Walmart to a higher standard because, well, politics?
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in each store's trash compactors
That's it? After rooting through Walmart dumpsters for 6-7 years?
Every store failed inspection and you're saying "that's it?"
It's the maximum amount of failure they could have detected. Regardless of the time term.
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They found the same trash you'd find in most residential trash on any given day anywhere in America, but it's WALMART!! So, a news story.
Seriously, how many of your relatives have a pile of broken electronics (alarm clocks, electric tooth brushes, greeting cards with sound chips, etc) waiting for the community "Electronics Recycling Day"?
Used bandaid = "medical waste"
Used facial tissue = "medical waste"
Used feminine hygiene product = "medical waste"
Used can of bug spray "hazardous material"
Dead alkaline ba
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You replied twice, and didn't say anything. You ignored the story and made up a bunch of bullshit that is irrelevant.
They failed every inspection.
Placing cans of aerosol spray into a trash compactor is hazardous. You didn't even comprehend the issue. And yet you attempt a detailed breakdown. Spend less time spewing, take off your "thinking cap," and fucking pay attention to what the story is. Don't be such extreme moron.
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. "We have met with the state numerous times to walk them through our industry-leading hazardous waste compliance programs in an effort to avoid litigation, but instead, they filed this unjustified lawsuit," Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said in a statement. "The state is demanding a level of compliance regarding waste disposal from our stores of common house-hold products and other items that goes beyond what is required by law. We intend to defend this company."
California politicians don't like Walmart, because being anti Walmart gets them votes, even from Walmart shoppers. It will be interesting to see the "shocking evidence" of corporate malfeasance state regulators noticed in their 58 inspections over 6-7 years and compare that to what the law actually is.
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All you're saying is, "I am er Repubikan! I virtue more thun Claifornya."
Alkaline batteries.. (Score:2)
Alkaline batteries are supposed to go in the trash in most jurisdictions. Our super left leaning city (Minneapolis) even sent out a specific notice about it because people kept leaving them on top of or in their recycling bins.
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/us... [epa.gov]
I'm curious about the "medical waste". Did an employee toss a band-aid in the trash?
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There are lots of things that go in the trash that are not supposed to go into trash compactors, apprently including
alkaline batteries, insect killer sprays, aerosol cans
It helps if you notice the others things in the list, and then put your thinking cap on.
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Yeah man, I'm onboard with not putting "insect killer sprays, aerosol cans" in the trash. However, it seems pretty clear that they're trying to justify spending 7 years digging through Wal-Mart's trash, and get paid for it.
Let's see some real data and evidence.
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Read the lawsuit for yourself
https://oag.ca.gov/system/file... [ca.gov]
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You're not comprehending.
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The word "alkaline" doesn't appear in that PDF, which sounds like the original article is at fault (not surprising).
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This is the exact text, copied and pasted in the lawsuit, to describe every offense noted in the lawsuit:
April 28, 2021 (San Joaquin County) - Ignitable aerosol Waste, E-Waste, batteries, liquid and solid Hazardous Waste, Medical Waste, and other Hazardous Wastes were discovered in Walmart’s locked compactor, picked up for Disposal and destined for a municipal landfill not authorized to receive
Hazardous Waste or E-Waste.
The date and location merely change. The state obviously doesn't feel the need to better explain the offenses beyond mere cut-and-paste descriptions and creating big, imaginary numbers based on 58 samples extrapolated to all 300 Walmart facilities.