United States' largest retailer, Wal-Mart pleaded guilty to six counts of Clean Water Act violation. The retailer was found guilty and fined over $110 million for the illegal dumping of toxic wastes.
Wal-Mart, the country's leading retailer company, was found guilty and was fined for the unlawful disposal of fertilizer, bleach and pesticide compounds into the sewer system, in the midst of other environmental violations.
In 2013, the justice system in the United States had also found Wal-Mart guilty of federal law violations by mixing pesticides together at a Missouri recycling facility, before reselling them in an illegal process, violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
The guilty charge concluded years of court mêlées plunging Wal-Mart against the US Environmental agencies over the company's illegal disposals. The charges were brought by the California state after a San Diego County Health Department inspector discovered a Wal-Mart employee dumping bleach into a sink drain. In an isolated occurrence, investigators found a young boy playing near the retailer's garden section in a puddle of fertilizer that contained ammonium sulfate, a compound that can cause severe skin, respiratory tracts and eye irritation.
Northern California US Attorney Melinda Haag said that the delinquencies in these cases curtail from Wal-Mart's failure to act in accordance with with the regulations designed to safeguard the proper handling, storage and disposal of the hazardous waste materials.
Being the biggest retailer in the United States, Wal-Mart is not only responsible and accountable for the basic commodities that are on its shelves but also the harmful and toxic substances that it releases on their production and maintenance.
Meanwhile, the legal issues did not make a substantial dip on the company's assets. Wal-Mart had recorded $120 billion in profits in 2012 alone. Authorities have, however, prompted the retailer to take new steps in ensuring that toxic waste is properly handled and disposed. After the allegations, the company brings into being a program that trains employees on how to handle hazardous wastes. The retailer also created an acquiescence office to check on compliance.
As Wal-Mart been fined over $110 million for its Clean Water Act violation and for the illegal dumping of toxic wastes, may the case serves as a moral to similar retailers and establishments in the country.
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