#hazardous-waste

#hazardous-waste

MARTINEZ A lawsuit led by Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton and San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe against three pesticide companies accused of violating state laws in their disposal of hazardous waste and private information has been settled for $3.15 million. Becton announced the settlement in a statement Wednesday. The lawsuit she and Wagstaffe led against Clark Pest Control of Stockton, Orkin Services of California, and Crane Pest Control also included district attorneys in Alameda, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties.

Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste, according to a new report by an environmental watchdog. The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, or BAN, said a two-year investigation found at least 10 U.S. companies exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, in what it says is a "hidden tsunami" of electronic waste.

One recent August morning, the sun was just rising when I was up and out the door of my apartment, heading to the Oakland estuary. Not everyone would be excited to get up at "oh-god-thirty" to tromp out to the bay's shoreline and strap themselves to a wobbly paddleboard to hunt down piles of garbage. But as an environmental reporter and water nerd, I was pumped.

UPS has agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle a lawsuit regarding the improper disposal of hazardous waste, affecting 45 California counties.