Home improvement retailer Home Depot Inc. will pay $27.84 million in a settlement agreement after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra charged the company with illegally disposing of waste and customer records, Reuters reported March 8.
According to the state of California, Home Depot did not properly dispose of hazardous waste such as aerosol cans, batteries, electronics and paint, Reuters reported. In addition, the company failed to redact or block out personal information before throwing out customer records.
The charges came after 2.5 years of investigating Home Depot dumpsters, Becerra reportedly said. He also explained that the settlement fee includes $16.64 million in civil penalties, $1.85 million to cover costs and $9.35 million toward environmental protection and compliance, according to the report.
Home Depot agreed to a permanent injunction if it violated similar laws in the future, the report said.
The $27.84 million settlement represents a little more than one day of profit posted by the company, according to the report.
