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LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors in Los Angeles and across California have filed a lawsuit against Target, claiming its stores improperly disposed of hazardous waste.
Attorney General Jerry Brown, 20 district attorneys and the Los Angeles city attorney jointly filed a complaint Monday in Alameda County Superior Court.
The lawsuit claims that over an eight-year period, more than 200 Target stores dumped various hazardous wastes and materials, including bleaches, pesticides, paints, aerosols and other flammable and corrosive materials into landfills throughout the state.
"Target has shown a willful disregard for California's hazardous waste laws by dumping flammable liquids and toxic chemicals in local landfills over a period of eight years," said state Attorney General Jerry Brown. "If successful, this lawsuit would force Target to comply with state laws governing the lawful handling and disposal of toxic and corrosive waste."
In a statement, Target spokeswoman Donna Egan said the company has a comprehensive program for proper handling and disposal of environmentally sensitive products.
"We are very disappointed that the California attorney general has chosen to take this step," the statement read. "We have been participating in a cooperative and constructive dialogue on this topic with the attorney general and a number of district attorneys for almost three years, including providing access to our stores and distribution centers in an effort to resolve this issue."
Under California law, companies are required to carefully store, handle and dispose of hazardous wastes and materials.
Prosecutors claim Target systematically ignored those laws to cut costs, alleging that employees identified defective, damaged and leaking chemical products and threw them into company compactors instead of being sent to authorized disposal sites.
The company also allegedly disposed of hazardous waste by passing on damaged and unusable items through donations to charities, according to the suit.
The lawsuit claims that multiple Target stores in Los Angeles County sent tons of products that could not be sold to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. The shipments, however, contained more than 5,000 pounds of damaged, leaking and unusable items with flammable, toxic and corrosive properties, according to the state Attorney General's Office.
In May, the state reached an $8.65 million settlement with rival retailer Kmart Corp. over similar allegations. The deal requires Kmart to properly store its waste and retrain its workers.
Attorney General Jerry Brown, 20 district attorneys and the Los Angeles city attorney jointly filed a complaint Monday in Alameda County Superior Court.
The lawsuit claims that over an eight-year period, more than 200 Target stores dumped various hazardous wastes and materials, including bleaches, pesticides, paints, aerosols and other flammable and corrosive materials into landfills throughout the state.
"Target has shown a willful disregard for California's hazardous waste laws by dumping flammable liquids and toxic chemicals in local landfills over a period of eight years," said state Attorney General Jerry Brown. "If successful, this lawsuit would force Target to comply with state laws governing the lawful handling and disposal of toxic and corrosive waste."
In a statement, Target spokeswoman Donna Egan said the company has a comprehensive program for proper handling and disposal of environmentally sensitive products.
"We are very disappointed that the California attorney general has chosen to take this step," the statement read. "We have been participating in a cooperative and constructive dialogue on this topic with the attorney general and a number of district attorneys for almost three years, including providing access to our stores and distribution centers in an effort to resolve this issue."
Under California law, companies are required to carefully store, handle and dispose of hazardous wastes and materials.
Prosecutors claim Target systematically ignored those laws to cut costs, alleging that employees identified defective, damaged and leaking chemical products and threw them into company compactors instead of being sent to authorized disposal sites.
The company also allegedly disposed of hazardous waste by passing on damaged and unusable items through donations to charities, according to the suit.
The lawsuit claims that multiple Target stores in Los Angeles County sent tons of products that could not be sold to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. The shipments, however, contained more than 5,000 pounds of damaged, leaking and unusable items with flammable, toxic and corrosive properties, according to the state Attorney General's Office.
In May, the state reached an $8.65 million settlement with rival retailer Kmart Corp. over similar allegations. The deal requires Kmart to properly store its waste and retrain its workers.
