The images above were exclusively sent to Salisbury News this morning from a professional flooring company owner who became outraged when they learned what WalMart is doing.
When this individual confronted the manager of the Fruitland WalMart they as much as dismissed his complaint. Then along came the flooring person who admitted right then and there that she was "trying to make it to the storm drain" but had a problem and knew it would make it down the parking lot and into the drain.
What you are seeing as a liquid in the above pictures is STRIPPER. Now this chemical has to be potent enough to strip basically plastic off the floors. It can burn you and it is most definitely toxic. The last place this chemical should be going is down a storm drain and ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay. When my friend confronted them they did at least try to cover it up with sand.
The proper authorities have been contacted, including the Coast Guard in Baltimore. You have to wonder Ladies & Gentlemen, just how many WalMart stores are dumping these chemicals into the Bay and WHY a Rain Tax was even proposed in the state of Maryland.
Yeah, it's the Farmers fault, NOT!
47 comments:
When you hire low quality people, this is what you get. The store manager should be fired and put in jail.
Fruitland itself is toxic
Thank you Salisbury News for exposing this to the authorities and we the people.
This is the new american way. We fail to our research on who could do the job right but we look at the lowest price and hire them.
The cleaning company needs a very large lawsuit, but, unfortunately, is probably poor and possibly uninsured for this. If so, the liability shifts up to Wal Mart, who probably had little knowledge or control over this action.
I do agree with 751, This stuff probably happens everywhere this cleaning company works regardless of the store's name, and probably in many other trades.
Farmers seem to be our best environmental protectors, yet are a target for blame...
Every retail establishment in Salisbury , or around the country does this. These floors are stripped not only in the retail business but offices and government buildings all over. Damn farmers need to get their heads screwed on , they are easily blamed because save the Bay needs money. Obama , global warming is here . you are on the hot seat.
7 years of complete misery .
Walmart is toxic to America.
So true!!!! Going with the lowest price on products is the same thing. Look at harbor freight! I have taken every power tool I've ever purchased from them back for a refund because it broke within a few uses. Buying DeWalt, Porter Cable, Craftsman, or any name brand is a far better choice. Same with contractors. You can get some really good deals out there but do your homework. Often times the lowest price isn't the best deal.
That stuff can damage paint on cars, and probably isn't good for the tires either.
But it's Walmart. Where they don't pay anyone enough to care.
The MDE needs to be contacted.....
anyone bother to notify the fire department
They could have been dishonest and could have had an inside drain installed to enable the elimination of toxic waste without outside knowledge. This is environmentally sound,but no one appears to be hiding anything.
The cleaning company did not do this. I went to Walmart to buy some trash liners and saw the spill and reported it. Walmart cleans in house. It was their employee who dumped the scrubber right at the front door. She stated and I quote..I was going to the storm drain when I noticed the hose was stopped up when I got it unclogged it ran out on the pavement. I just happen to own a cleaning company and I knew right away what it was. I took the pictures. I am fully insured and have been in business 26 years.
I know Walmart has a drop sink. That is where the waste should go, not in the Storm drains. I don’t know of any business that doesn’t have one.
Exactly-That's Walmart for you. It's only an illusion that people are getting lower prices when they purchase at Walmart. The hidden costs to tax payers due exclusively to Walmart's practices are astronomical.
I agree-It's always the farmers fault, the farmers who bend and go out of their way to abide by environmental issues. Everyone needs to do their part including Walmart.
A big Thank You to whoever took these pictures and to Salisbury News for posting.
8:45 Why should they pay more? Even their managers are not up to grade. Only lower worker is the public worker.
I worked for Sams & they have a waste removal station & directions on how to dispose of all waste. I was told if I did not remove waste correctly, it would be immediate termination. Sam's is Walmart owned so I know Walmart has the same station. #1that manager needs to be fired for dismissing it #2 that employee needs to be fired for not following the rules. They definitely hire people that aren't worth the powder to blow them up & treat the ones that do work like crap to the point where they guve up & don't care. But then again, Walmart & Sam's aren't the only ones that like this.
Thank you, 916 for the clarification. And, not being in that specific business as you are, I would have to read the MSDS sheet on the product to learn the proper disposal method.
Can this stuff go to the WWTP, or does it need to be stored and recycled at a facility? This stuff is probably widely used at WM North, Kmart, the MVA, all the grocery stores and many offices. At that daily volume, one has to wonder how many gallons a day get dumped improperly.
Thank you again for reporting this!
If MDE has been notified, that should take care of it.
They can get pretty sticky.
Put sand on it? Like that was going to do something?
The Coast Guard alerted all who needs to know.
The fire department was called this morning and responded to this spill. The thing is that their hands are tied to do much of anything with this other than report to the M.D.E. and or county officials. The thing that bothers me is why even call the fire department to start with the first call should have been to M.D.E. the extreme waist of resources to have the Volunteer's form Fruitland and the equipment cost is the real issue here. As a concerned citizen of this area I think WalMart should be billed for the time and equipment that had to respond there around 4:00am this morning!
Being in the business for 26 years I have never seen this before.
Almost all business have drop sinks and if they don't you can use a toilet. I have stripped and waxed the banks in Walmart and there are more than just one sink in the store. This is what happens when people are hired without proper training and qualifications. When I asked the cashier to speak to the manager I was told she was in the back unloading trucks thus these people were without supervision. Stripping and waxing is a dangerous job as many people have slips and falls. Expert supervision is an absolute must. I have never striped a business
when it was open to the public as there is just too much liability. I know of no other company that allows this as they understand this.
9:34 They should pay more because a large percentage of their employees are receiving some kind of welfare benefit, which comes out of the tax payers pockets. Under Obamacare their employees are entitled to subsidies to off set healthcare costs as one example. Subsidies meaning tax payers are footing the bill.
Before everyone looses their minds, it may be biodegradable soap.
9am They DO have indoor drains.What do you think those drains are in all of the restrooms? It allows them to scrub down and clean in there and handles overflows.
And the indoor drains and toilets and drop sinks go to the sewer system, where the water can be treated, not to the stormwater drain, where it goes directly to the river and beyond, untreated.
Ask any janitor. That's where all floor stripper ends up. Down a drain, whether in a building, or outside a building.
It's this kind of liberal whining that gets in the way of businesses succeeding in America. Communist China doesn't put as many restrictions on businesses as we do. And yet a so-called conservative is screaming for Big Brother to come save him from a big bad corporation.
I thought conservatives wanted government OUT of business and here you are crying and whining to get them involved. Next thing you now, they'll shut down the store and hundreds of residents will have fewer shopping options because of your belly-aching over a few gallons of a chemical needed for cleaning.
Don't like something, cry for the GOVERNMENT to fix your problems. You people sicken me. Where are our true conservatives in this county?????
11:52, You are, (simply put) an Idiot. Leave it to a LIBERAL, (once caught) to start making excuses as to how conservatives are the bad guys. Yeah, YOU want OUR tax dollars to clean the Bay while you pieces of crap pollute it.
I'm sure it wasn't the only stripper at Walmart late last night, but probably the prettiest.
When a Private business does this... Attack, Attack, Attack. When your own city does this... Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.
As far as a material safety data sheet goes for a ZEP floor wax stripper, it MUST be recycled to a Licensed Recycling Center, and NOT put in any drain, sanitary or storm.
Causes permanent eye injury, for one, and fish don't need to go blind. I'm sure that the methyls and ethyls in it can pretty much ruin a lot of WWTP efforts as well, FYI.
But after 8 hours this stripper turns to water its completely diluted
Anonymous said...
The fire department was called this morning and responded to this spill. The thing is that their hands are tied to do much of anything with this other than report to the M.D.E. and or county officials. The thing that bothers me is why even call the fire department to start with the first call should have been to M.D.E. the extreme waist of resources to have the Volunteer's form Fruitland and the equipment cost is the real issue here. As a concerned citizen of this area I think WalMart should be billed for the time and equipment that had to respond there around 4:00am this morning!
August 4, 2015 at 10:34 AM
IMHO the fire departments should not be in the HazMat business. Paid fire departments did this out of desperation to save jobs, hence the terms job security. Volunteers did this out of boredom and they both get their cookies off responding to the scene as fast as they can and for the most part they both just stand around until the professionals get their to do the real clean up. Then they become the professionals servants and bitch about being there. A low life job to be a servant farmin.
I say call 911 every time you see something like this. That will put a stop to it. Don't ever go to management.
Anonymous said...
But after 8 hours this stripper turns to water its completely diluted
August 4, 2015 at 1:05 PM
LMFAO, you must be an intelligent paid farmin on top of the food scale.
after 8 hrs, there aren't too many strippers that will be dangerous ...
Looks like spilled milk to me, therefore no use crying over it (wouldn't suggest walking or driving in it though).
Remember that old promo jingle -- " ... flush the dirt right down the drain ..."
call 911 and make a cop come
I'm afraid to say that in my 20 years of retail, that All and I mean ALL flooring companies dump these chemicals down the drains when they strip and re wax the floors.
I personally used to work at the seaford walmart doing floor maintenance I swear when I was there this never happened
So damn true
That stripper looks like it has an infection
Its not a cleaning company, walmart employees are the ones who do the floors.
It normally get dumped down the drain.
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