California Judge Orders UPS to Pay $1.4 Million Over Hazardous Waste Protocols

Prosecutors said UPS risked contaminating soil and water sources, and introduced hidden hazards to sanitation workers.

A UPS Customer Center office in New York on April 4, 2020. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times

The global shipping and logistics company UPS, as well as its affiliates, including UPS Supply Chain Solutions, General Services, Inc., and UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc., were found guilty of unlawfully disposing of hazardous and medical waste in California, the Riverside County District Attorney’s office announced on Aug. 4.

The ruling, issued on July 25 by the San Joaquin County Superior Court, involved 140 facilities across California, 10 of which were located in Riverside County.

The penalty entails $1.4 million in civil penalties, $140,000 for investigative costs, and $205,000 for environmental projects, including restoration and pollution mitigation. Riverside County will receive $255,000, including $230,000 from the civil penalties and an additional $25,000 earmarked for cost recovery.

“UPS, like all California businesses, is required to properly dispose of hazardous waste and medical waste that is generated in the normal course of its business and to manage such 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 District Attorney’s office said in a statement.

This waste includes ignitable, reactive, toxic, and corrosive materials, which were improperly discarded in regular trash bins—not designed for dangerous substances—and sent to non-permitted landfills, posing risks to public health and the environment.

Because of the widespread nature of the violation, multiple district attorneys were involved in the case, including those from Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Yolo counties, which collaborated on the investigation. Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Lauren R. Martineau, who works with Riverside County’s Environmental Protection Team, led the prosecution.

Martineau is a member of the California Hazardous Materials Investigators Association, a nonprofit and public benefit corporation founded in 1985 by state and local law enforcement, as well as various regulatory agency representatives, to share information on environmental enforcement.

By failing to adhere to California’s environmental regulations, prosecutors said UPS risked contaminating soil and water sources and introduced hidden hazards to sanitation workers.

UPS, which is based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, cooperated with authorities and has vowed to implement improved waste management procedures, such as comprehensive employee training on the handling of hazardous and medical waste, to comply with regulations in California.

The company didn’t return a request for comment by publication time.

The ruling requires UPS to require its facilities to properly dispose of hazardous and medical waste by storing the relevant waste in properly labeled and separate containers so they can be properly handled, thereby bringing UPS into compliance with California state laws pertaining to industry and logistics.

UPS says it is addressing the issues to comply with legal standards via improved waste management practices.

UPS paid a $5.3 million settlement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2022 for hazardous waste violations at 1,160 facilities nationwide, including in Puerto Rico. The punishment included a 36-month compliance period due to violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

“This settlement is another example of EPA’s commitment to protecting communities from the dangers of hazardous waste,” Larry Starfield, EPA’s acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a statement at the time. “Today’s action requires UPS to address RCRA violations at all of its facilities, as well as implement policies that prevent future noncompliance.”