TERMINIX TO PAY $3.15 MILLION FOR ILLEGAL WASTE DISPOSAL AND MISHANDLED CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni, along with 28 other California District Attorneys, announced today a $3.15 million settlement with the pest control companies Terminix International Inc. and Rentokil North America, Inc. (collectively, "Terminix") to resolve allegations that Terminix violated California laws regulating the disposal of pesticides, hazardous waste, and customer records containing personally identifiable information ("PII"). The lawsuit alleges Terminix routinely and unlawfully disposed of pesticides and hazardous wastes into waste bins destined for municipal landfills not authorized to accept these wastes. The lawsuit further alleges that in some instances Terminix failed to shred records containing customers' PII before disposing of those items.

Terminix and Rentokil are residential and commercial pest control service companies that do business under the names Terminix, Western Exterminator, and others. Terminix is owned by London-based Rentokil Initial plc, with over 65 facilities in California.

From 2021 through 2024, District Attorney investigators uncovered at Terminix facilities statewide, hundreds of unlawfully disposed of pesticide and hazardous waste items. The investigation also revealed Terminix had improperly managed and disposed of customer records in violation of California privacy laws requiring businesses to render customers' personal information contained in those records unreadable before disposal.

Upon being notified by the District Attorneys of the unlawful disposals, Terminix was cooperative and responsive. Under the Judgment, Terminix will pay a total of $3,150,000, consisting of: $1,950,000 in civil penalties; $300,000 in supplemental environmental compliance projects; $400,000 in investigative costs; and $500,000 in suspended penalties.