# California Attorney General Bonta Sues Waste Connections Over Closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill > California's attorney general sued Waste Connections over the closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill, alleging hazardous waste mismanagement and leachate spills into Castaic Creek. - Published: 2026-10-29T16:05:31+00:00 - Section: Legal & Disputes - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-29/waste-connections-chiquita-landfill-lawsuit - Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/california-ag-bonta-sues-waste-153100888.html) ## Key takeaways - Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control filed a lawsuit against Waste Connections over the closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County. - The lawsuit alleges subsurface temperatures exceeded 212 degrees Fahrenheit and that about 8,000 gallons of leachate flowed into an unpermitted basin in November 2025 before overflowing to Castaic Creek. - Waste Connections CEO Ron Mittelstaedt said on the Q3 call that remediation at Chiquita is following a decelerating curve and that mitigation costs should fall in upcoming quarters. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control filed a lawsuit against [Waste Connections](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0003837/waste-connections) over an ongoing subsurface elevated temperature event at the closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/california-ag-bonta-sues-waste-153100888.html) reported. The landfill closed in 2025 after years of regulatory and legal pressure. ## Inside the Chiquita Canyon Allegations The lawsuit alleges that Chiquita Canyon's operators "repeatedly, consistently, and pervasively failed to lawfully manage hazardous waste." Bonta said regulators have seen "consistent evidence of leaks, seeps, and spills of hazardous leachate and improper transport, treatment, and storage of hazardous materials." The suit alleges temperatures beneath the landfill exceeded 212 degrees Fahrenheit, released "odors and toxic fumes," and generated millions of gallons of leachate containing chemicals such as benzene and methyl ethyl ketone. According to the lawsuit, about 8,000 gallons of leachate flowed into the landfill's eastern stormwater sedimentation basin in November 2025, an area not permitted to hold or store leachate; rainfall in December caused that segment to overflow, releasing stormwater mixed with leachate to Castaic Creek, which flows into the Santa Clara River. Bonta said: "Protecting the environment and safeguarding Californians requires quick and effective action from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill's owners and operators. For too long, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has done the opposite, which has resulted in numerous spills of leachate and other violations of our state's hazardous waste laws." Waste Connections did not respond to a request for comment. An unattributed statement on the landfill's website said "many of the allegations in this lawsuit are without merit and much of the political rhetoric ignores the current conditions at the landfill and the hard work of Chiquita and its employees." The lawsuit seeks civil penalties, disgorgement, injunctive and other equitable relief, and an abatement fund. ## Waste Connections' Remediation Costs According to akta.pro company records, Waste Connections is the third-largest integrated solid waste services company in North America, serving about 9 million customers across 46 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces. The company reported full-year 2025 revenue of $9.467 billion, up 6.1% year-over-year, and Q1 2026 revenue of $2.37 billion, up 6.4%. On the Q3 call, held before the lawsuit was announced, CEO Ron Mittelstaedt said remediation at Chiquita is following "a typical curve of a decelerating ETLF" and that leachate and odor work is on schedule. He said: "As the reaction cools with time, you get less leachate generation. Therefore you have less leachate disposal cost, and you have less infrastructure such as wells to do cover to put down over the reaction area." ## Waste Connections' Second-Quarter Results Waste Connections reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.1%, while revenue reached $2.56 billion and surpassed expectations, Yahoo reported in August 2026. The company also raised full-year guidance, citing improved commodity trends and AI-driven pricing tools as growth drivers, [AInvest](https://akta.pro/news-signals) reported. In the same month, Waste Connections launched a share repurchase program authorizing buybacks of up to 12,578,462 common shares, about 5% of its outstanding stock, [Simply Wall St](https://akta.pro/company-data) reported. ## What Comes Next in the Chiquita Case The lawsuit seeks civil penalties, disgorgement, injunctive and other equitable relief, and the establishment of an abatement fund to help address pollution. ## Companies in this story - [Waste Connections company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0003837/waste-connections) · website: http://www.wasteconnections.com --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt