Consumer

FedEx Ground to Pay $1.75M for Mishandling of Hazardous Waste

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FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. has been ordered to pay $1.75 million as part of a settlement in a case involving claims the Pennsylvania-based company was illegally transporting and storing hazardous waste, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced Tuesday.

The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and County Counsel played an integral part in the investigation. Prosecutors said prior to June 1, 2013, the company failed to adequately train its employees regarding the proper handling of the waste and failing to appropriately dispose of the waste.

The DA’s office worked with 15 other district attorney’s offices around the state, with a lawsuit filed in Sacramento County. Two of the 36 FedEx Ground facilities involved were in San Diego County.

Under the final judgment, FedEx Ground must pay $1.75 million: $1.5 million in civil penalties, $155,000 in reimbursed funds to the investigative and law enforcement agencies, $85,000 for a supplemental environmental project, and $10,000 to inform its customers of waste minimization techniques and improved packaging.

FedEx Ground also will be bound under the terms of a permanent injunction prohibiting similar future violations of law. The company was cooperative during the investigation.