Hazardous Waste Transportation Settlement With Wiley Sanders Trucking Provides Nearly $2 Million to Department of Public Health

Hazardous Waste Transportation Settlement With Wiley Sanders Trucking Provides Nearly $2 Million to Department of Public Health

County Counsel worked with the Los Angeles District Attorney to sue Wiley Sanders Truck Lines, Inc. (WSTL) for allegedly violating hazardous waste laws in the process of trucking plastic automotive battery casings from the Exide battery recycling facility to the KW Plastics disposal facility in Bakersfield. The County’s complaint alleged that plastic battery casings, byproducts of battery recycling, cannot themselves be further recycled and are thus considered hazardous because of lead contamination. The County’s complaint alleges that battery casings must be treated, managed, transported, and disposed of as hazardous waste.

The County’s complaint alleged that WSTL’s failure to handle the contaminated battery casings properly caused the unlawful release of hazardous waste from WSTL’s trucks. Working with the District Attorney’s office, County Counsel negotiated a settlement with WSTL.  The settlement provides $1.82 million to the Department of Public Health to help communities impacted by Exide and $565,000 in civil penalties and costs.  The settlement includes a stipulated judgment signed by the judge prohibiting WSTL from transporting hazardous wastes in violation of State law.

*Although WSTL settled this lawsuit, it did not admit liability; nor did it admit the allegations of the County’s complaint.