California pest control firms to pay $3.15M to settle claims of pesticide, hazardous waste dumping in landfills

By Carlos E. Castañeda

Three pest control companies in California will pay millions to settle a lawsuit alleging illegal disposal of pesticides and hazardous waste in trash bins destined for municipal landfills not authorized to accept the waste, prosecutors said.

The lawsuit against Clark Pest Control of Stockton, Orkin Services of California, and Crane Pest Control was led by the Contra Costa and San Mateo County District Attorneys and joined by DAs from Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura counties.

The lawsuit alleged that from March 2021 through February 2022, undercover district attorney investigators throughout the state found toxic, ignitable, or corrosive waste and pesticides illegally disposed of in dozens of dumpsters at 22 separate facilities. The items included containers of thousands of pesticide liquids, powders, foams, baits, pellets and aerosol sprays, along with batteries, e-waste, hand sanitizers, caulkings, adhesives, and facility cleaning solutions. 

“Our Environmental Unit will continue to work with San Mateo County regulators and other district attorneys across the state, to investigate and prosecute those who break the law and endanger the health of our citizens and the environment,” said San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe in a prepared statement.

The inspections also found that the companies improperly disposed of thousands of customer records, such as service orders, contracts and invoices, without shredding them in violation of California privacy laws, according to the lawsuit.

Clark, Orkin and Crane are residential and commercial pest control firms owned by Georgia-based Rollins, Inc., with over 70 facilities in California. Prosecutors said that when the companies were notified about the unlawful disposals, they fully cooperated with authorities and quickly made changes to their policies and procedures to eliminate the improper management and disposal of the prohibited wastes, and to protect confidential customer information in California.  

“The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to ensuring companies are held accountable for conduct that endangers the environment and our citizens,” said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton.

The $3.15 million stipulated final judgment that the companies will pay consists of $2,017,000 in civil penalties, with the remainder going to supplemental environmental compliance projects, credit for compliance measures, and investigative costs. The settlement also requires a five-year injunction mandating operational reforms, including retaining a third-party auditor of its dumpsters who would report findings to prosecutors, requiring proof of employee training programs, and a minimum of 2,000 hours per year devoted to oversight and review of enhanced environmental compliance measures.

CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Rollins, Inc. for a comment on the lawsuit settlement.