A Discussion on the Hazardous Effects of Waste Dumping

Every firm should be working towards conserving the environment, but not contributing to environmental degradation. The waste dumping case of the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that involves them improperly handling and dumping hazardous waste at it stores in California was one bad step by the stores. The settlement of the case was done by over thirty-two environment groups and twenty prosecutors, which took five years. Wal-Mart accusations were for disposing of fertilizer, paint aerosols, pesticide, and other chemicals (Josh Wood, 2010). These were a serious case since the waste contained poisonous substances that are toxic and dangerous to people.

Also, they have adverse impacts on the environment in general. For example, according to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, San Diego County a boy from Solano County who was found playing in the mound of the fertilizer near the Wal-Mart garden posed a danger to him.

Since the yellow powder fertilizer, contains the ammonium sulfate that is a chemical that causes some irritations to the individual's eyes, skins, and the respiratory tract.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was fined $27.6 million that was for cleaning up the mess (Lucy Nicholson, 2013). The punishment given to Wal-Mart fit the crime since it was the amount of money that will be used to ensure that all the waste are removed from the places they were dumped. The expectations are that Wal-Mart might shell out some more money due to the criminal and civil investigations by the federal officials. These arise due to the allegations that the company mishandled the waste products that violated the laws of the environment in the California, Washington D.

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C., and Missouri. How the environmental groups and the prosecutors arrived at the $27.6 million is not described in the case. The quotations of the money were just done that will pay the environmental agency that will clean the poisonous waste products from the dumped sites.

References

1. Josh Wood, (2010). Wal-Mart settles the waste-dumping case. California deal affects practices nationwide. Columbia Daily Tribune.
2. Lucy Nicholson, (2013). Walmart found guilty of dumping hazardous waste nationwide.