US retailer to pay $10 mn in waste dump lawsuit
The home improvement chain came under investigation after a hazardous waste container exploded at its store.
By Agencies |
LOS ANGELES: US retailer Home Depot has agreed to pay nearly USD 10 million in penalties and investigation costs to settle a lawsuit alleging it mishandled hazardous waste from its California stores, officials said.
The world's largest home improvement store chain came under investigation after a hazardous waste container exploded at Home Depot's store in Marina Del Rey in May 2004, the lawsuit said.
The fire forced the evacuation of store employees and customers. Investigators later found that chemicals were mixed together in the 208-litre drum.
After the explosion, a waste hauler contracted by Home Depot was stopped by the California Highway Patrol. The truck was not licensed by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Government agencies which brought the lawsuit, including the state Department of Justice and prosecutors in several counties, began investigating. The coordinated probe concluded Home Depot routinely collected hazardous waste accumulated at its stores across California and placed them in large buckets for offsite disposal.
Haulers sometimes improperly stored and labelled the waste and did not keep good records of materials about to be transported, the lawsuit said.
The settlement, which must be signed by a judge before it can be finalised, also requires that Home Depot contribute to environmental training programmes and other environmental initiatives benefitting the state.
Home Depot said in a statement that it has been working with state officials since 2005 to comply with all environmental laws.
The world's largest home improvement store chain came under investigation after a hazardous waste container exploded at Home Depot's store in Marina Del Rey in May 2004, the lawsuit said.
The fire forced the evacuation of store employees and customers. Investigators later found that chemicals were mixed together in the 208-litre drum.
After the explosion, a waste hauler contracted by Home Depot was stopped by the California Highway Patrol. The truck was not licensed by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Government agencies which brought the lawsuit, including the state Department of Justice and prosecutors in several counties, began investigating. The coordinated probe concluded Home Depot routinely collected hazardous waste accumulated at its stores across California and placed them in large buckets for offsite disposal.
Haulers sometimes improperly stored and labelled the waste and did not keep good records of materials about to be transported, the lawsuit said.
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The settlement, which must be signed by a judge before it can be finalised, also requires that Home Depot contribute to environmental training programmes and other environmental initiatives benefitting the state.
Home Depot said in a statement that it has been working with state officials since 2005 to comply with all environmental laws.
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