Home Depot to pay $27.8M in California hazardous waste settlement

National retailer the Home Depot will pay more than $27 million to the state of California to settle an unlawful disposal of hazardous waste case.

In the settlement announced Thursday, Home Depot will pay California $27,840,000 to resolve allegations brought against the retailer that it improperly disposed of batteries, aerosol cans, paints and other hazardous materials.

As part of the deal, Home Depot agreed to pay more than $16 million in civil penalties and $2 million toward projects that enhance environmental protections.

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The company additionally agreed to spend $6.8 million to work toward more strict environmental compliance beyond what is mandated by law. 

California’s Department of Justice found evidence of Home Depot’s failure to comply with state hazardous waste laws during 45 inspections it made of trash dumpsters belonging to Home Depot stores between 2013 and 2015.

Evidence of illegal disposal was found on each of those inspections, according to a statement released by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Thursday.

Additionally, the inspections found improper disposal of customer information, which left personal details readable.

“At the California Department of Justice, we take seriously our obligation to protect the health and well-being of our communities. That is why we are holding Home Depot accountable,” Becerra said in the statement. “For approximately two and a half years, state and local investigators inspected trash dumpsters belonging to Home Depot and found that the company failed to properly manage and dispose of hazardous waste and personal customer information. This is unacceptable and illegal. As the top law enforcement officer in California, I will continue to work with state and local agencies to prosecute those who violate our environmental and customer record laws.”