WM logoWaste Management has fired five managers and launched an in-depth audit after discovering company drivers brought recyclable materials from several North Texas cities to a landfill.

The publicly traded waste and recycling giant discovered employees dumped recyclable materials collected from 14 cities and subdivisions in the landfill over a 21-month period ending in January, according to The Dallas Morning News. The affected areas are in the Dallas metropolitan area, although the City of Dallas was not affected.

The paper reported a total of 8,337 tons – or 19 percent of the recycling material collected – was mishandled over the nearly two-year period.

The activity was discovered when the company conducted an audit of the truck GPS data, which showed the vehicles were periodically visiting landfills instead of one of the two MRFs the company operates in the area.