Pest Company Settles Environmental Protection Case for Pesticide, Hazardous Waste, and Customer Privacy Law Violations for $3,150,000

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez, along with 28 other California district attorneys and the city attorney of Los Angeles, has announced the settlement of an environmental protection lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court against the pest control company Rentokil North America, Inc. and Terminix International Inc., et al, (collectively “Terminix”) to resolve allegations that Terminix violated state laws governing pesticides, hazardous waste, and customer records. Terminix unlawfully disposed of pesticides and hazardous waste into company waste bins destined for municipal landfills not authorized to accept these materials. The lawsuit also resolves allegations that Terminix failed to shred documents containing confidential customer information before disposal.

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, “Our Environmental and Consumer Law Division is working with other district attorney offices throughout California to ensure that businesses comply with environmental protection laws to preserve our natural resources and to ensure confidentiality of protected consumer information.”

From 2021 through 2024, district attorney investigators throughout the state conducted a series of undercover waste inspections. The inspections uncovered hundreds of unlawfully disposed of toxic, ignitable, and corrosive pesticide and hazardous waste items that were destined for transfer stations and landfills not permitted to receive those wastes. The items included containers of pesticide liquids, powders, foams, baits, pellets, and aerosol sprays, as well as batteries, e-waste, and facility cleaning solutions. The inspections also revealed that in some instances Terminix improperly managed and disposed of customer records in violation of California privacy laws designed to protect consumers by requiring businesses to render personal information in those records unreadable before disposal.

When Terminix was notified by the district attorneys of the unlawful disposals, they fully cooperated and quickly responded to enhance company policies and procedures designed to eliminate the improper management and disposal of the prohibited items, and to protect confidential customer information in California.

Terminix is a residential and commercial pest control service company with two facilities in Sonoma County. Sonoma County will receive $347,350 in civil penalties and cost recovery.

Deputy District Attorney Dustin Hughson was the assigned prosecutor for the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

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