United Parcel Service Inc. and its affiliates will pay $1.7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the district attorneys for 45 California counties, alleging the shipping giant sent improperly labeled hazardous waste to area landfills, the Riverside County district attorney’s office announced Monday.
The lawsuit, filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court on July 23, came after a years-long investigation into 140 UPS locations in California, according to a statement from the office. The matter was investigated by the district attorney’s offices in Riverside, Yolo, San Joaquin and San Bernadino counties, among others.
The suit alleged that UPS irresponsibly disposed of hazardous and medical waste in “regular trashbins,” which contained corrosive, ignitable and toxic materials. The trash was then sent to landfills not meant to receive it, officials said.
It was unclear how the waste mentioned in the lawsuit was produced, or where it came from. UPS is a multinational delivery company that operates trucks, airplanes and trains, which can all produce waste through standard shipping 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 was cooperative and quick to improve upon the practices discussed in the suit. UPS said that, in advance of the settlement, it implemented new waste management systems and training programs that teach employees how to deal with hazardous waste at all California facilities.
“The safety of our employees and communities, and care for our environment, are the highest priorities at UPS,” the shipping company said in a statement to The Times. “We immediately investigated and took corrective actions to address the allegations made by the counties. UPS fully cooperated with the counties’ investigation, including conducting audits of its waste handling practices under the oversight of the DA’s.”
UPS will pay $1.4 million in civil penalties, $140,000 in cost reimbursement and $205,000 that will go toward supplemental environmental projects, officials said.
“UPS, like all California businesses, is required to properly dispose of hazardous waste and medical waste in labeled and segregated containers to ensure that incompatible waste does not mix and cause dangerous chemical reactions or harm to the environment,” the statement said.
