Lowe’s settles dumping suit

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s has agreed to pay out $18.1 million in response to a civil action by county governments in California alleging that the hardware giant unlawfully disposed of hazardous waste for more than six years, the Sacramento Bee reports. The claim implicated seven northern California store locations. Investigators at the state’s Department of Toxic Substance Control have been cracking down on retailers over the past twelve years, and Lowe’s joins big boxes like Walmart and Target that have settled similar actions.