California AG Sues Target Over Illegal Dumping; KMart Settles Claims

June 15, 2009 6:45 p.m. EST

Oakland, CA (AHN) - Attorney General Jerry Brown charged discount retailer Target on Monday with illegally dumping of hazardous wastes, while announcing a settlement with rival Kmart over similar charges.

Brown was joined in filing the charges by 20 district attorneys around the state and the city attorney of Los Angeles.

In a statement, the attorney general said the charges resulted from an investigation that began in March 2006 into how Target disposed of various waste products and toxic chemicals. The statement cited numerous instances in which Target showed "willful disregard" of California's waste disposal regulations, one as recent as last month.

Target operates seven distribution centers and more than 200 stores throughout the state.

Since 2001, the retailer has been cited more than 300 times for violating state hazardous waste control laws, the attorney general said.

Citations charged to Target included sending propane canisters and medical waste to a landfill not authorized to handle such materials in May and, in March 2002, disposing of liquid pool chlorine in the store's trash compactor. In that instance, fumes escaped into the store, causing the store to be evacuated and several people being taken to hospitals.

At the same time, Brown announced that Kmart had agreed to stop disposing of toxic materials in landfills. The company, which has 100 stores in the state, also will pay more than $8.65 million in penalties.