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United Parcel Service Inc. and its affiliates paid $1.7 million to resolve a case filed by the District Attorney for 45 California Counties, claiming the shipping giant sent inappropriately labelled hazardous waste to local landfills, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The lawsuit filed July 23rd in San Joaquin County Superior Court comes after years of investigation into 140 UPS locations in California, according to an office statement. The issue was investigated by the District Attorney’s Office for Riverside, Yolo, San Joaquin and San Bernardino County.
The lawsuit allegedly irresponsibly disposed of dangerous and medical waste in “regular trash cans” containing corrosive, ignitable and toxic substances. The trash was then sent to a landfill that was not intended to receive it, officials said.
It was unclear how the waste mentioned in the lawsuit came from and where it came from. UPS is a multinational delivery company that operates trucks, planes and trains, and can generate waste through standard transportation practices. UPS did not specify how much waste the company produced in its 2024 Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Report.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said UPS is a cooperative and can quickly improve the practices discussed in the lawsuit. Before the settlement, UPS said it had implemented a new waste management system and training program that taught employees how to deal with hazardous waste at all California facilities.
“Employee and community safety and our environmental care are our number one priority at UPS,” the shipping company said in a statement in the Times. “We immediately investigated and took corrective action to address the county’s allegations. UPS has fully cooperated with the county’s investigation, including conducting an audit of waste disposal practices under DA’s supervision.”
The UPS will pay $1.4 million in civil penalty, $140,000 in cost rebates and $205,000 for supplemental environmental projects, officials said.
“Like all California businesses, UPS must properly dispose of hazardous and medical waste in labeled and separated containers to ensure that incompatible waste does not mix and cause dangerous chemical reactions or environmental harm,” the statement said.
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