ALL>> On April 21, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Bryan F. Foster, settled an ongoing lawsuit against Big Lot Stores, Inc. and one of its distribution centers in Rancho Cucamonga.
The company was accused of the unlawful dumping of hazardous materials into trashcans at several of the company's 206 California locations and a distribution center.
Attorneys who worked on the case listed batteries, electronics, toxic materials and corrosive liquids as the improperly disposed items. The items disposed were inclusive of both overstocked items, damaged containers, and returned products. Rather than sending these products to pre-authorized hazardous materials dumpsites, they were disposed of at regular landfills, which under California law, are not permitted to take such things.
“Companies that deal with hazardous waste are expected to fully comply with the rules and regulations that are meant to protect our citizens and the environment,” District Attorney Mike Ramos said. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit, we were able to once again hold another corporation accountable for their negligent actions and bring them into compliance with California’s environmental laws.”
Big Lots will be required to pay upwards of 2 million dollars in damages. The company will also be forced to pay for the cost of the investigation, which totaled over $300,000.
In addition, Big Lots will also have to put money toward an environmental project whose aim is to prevent incidents like this from happening. They will also be ordered to provide funds to projects that help minimize hazardous waste and educate the public on how to properly dispose of items not suited for public landfills.
All hazardous waste illegally dumped by Big Lots is in the process of being removed from public landfills by state-registered haulers. The materials will then be taken to a proper disposal site.