TJX owns approximately 340 T. J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores in California, the DA said, 10 of which are located in Alameda County.
Between 2016 and 2021, TJX companies improperly disposed of hazardous waste in trash bins which went to municipal landfills, the DA said. These landfills were not authorized to accept hazardous waste, some of which included aerosol cans, batteries, electronic devices, and cleaning agents.
The law requires that hazardous waste generated in the normal course of retail business be labeled and put in segregated containers to make sure that incompatible wastes do not mix and cause dangerous chemical reactions.
TJX was ordered to pay a stipulated judgment of about two million dollars. This includes $1.8 million in civil penalties, $300,000 in supplemental environmental projects, and a quarter-million dollars in reimbursement of investigative and enforcement costs.
The DA claims that this is the second time that TJX mismanaged hazardous waste in California. In September of 2014, similar allegations were resolved and TJX paid more than two-point-seven million dollars in civil penalties and costs.
