Wal-mart held responsible for waste violations, fined $81 million

NEW YORK (Scrap Monster) : The retail giant Wal-mart has been charged with hefty fines on charges of violating hazardous waste disposal guidelines.

Cases were filed against the company in Los Angeles and San Francisco for violating the Clean Water Act by improper handling of hazardous materials by its retail outlets. The company was also sued in Missouri State for violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for improper handling of pesticides by stores. On top of the above criminal cases, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) had filed a civil case against the company on similar charges of violating environmental laws. Wal-mart will have to pay around $110 million in total as fines.

According to EPA, the company failed to have a programme on proper hazardous waste management and disposal practices at the store level up to January 2006. The company is also alleged to have failed in providing training to its employees on standardized waste disposal practices.

As a result, the EPA said that hazardous wastes were either discarded improperly at the store level - including being put into municipal waste bins. Hazardous liquids meanwhile were simply being poured into the local sewer system.