Tomra Pacific Inc., Corona, Calif., has settled in a civil case brought against it by five California counties. The counties alleged Tomra Pacific of not paying consumers enough for their recyclables. The five counties – Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, Fresno and Santa Cruz – will divide $662,244 that Tomra has paid to cover civil penalties, costs and restitution.
Along with the payment, Napa County Superior Court Judge Raymond Guadagni has ordered Tomra Pacific to implement new procedures for weighing recyclables at its centers to prevent a repeat occurrence.
A multi-county investigation by the California Division of Measurement Standards, the Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer and other Weights and Measures officials from counties throughout the state, revealed that consumers were underpaid at Tomra recycling centers over a four-year period. The underpayments were largely the result of inaccurate procedures used for taking the tare weights of barrels used to weigh consumers’ recyclable materials. Tomra Pacific says it cooperated fully in the investigation.