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Why California is dumping a bunch of its hazardous waste in Arizona

California has strict laws about getting rid of hazardous waste. But new reporting shows instead of treating its waste at home, California has been shipping it across the border and dumping it in Arizona landfills — and it’s been happening for a while.

According to CalMatters, a nonprofit news outlet covering California government and policy, nearly half of our neighbor’s hazardous waste has left California since 2010. It often ends up either in Arizona or in Utah.

Robert Lewis is an investigations reporter at CalMatters. The Show talked to him about what kinds of materials are being shipped from California to Arizona and Utah.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.