Safeway to pay nearly $10 mil. in hazardous waste lawsuit
By KCRA-TV
OAKLAND — Safeway Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $10 million in civil penalties to settle a environmental protection lawsuit filed in Oakland alleging that the grocery store chain failed to properly dispose of hazardous waste at more than 500 California facilities over seven years.
The San Francisco and Alameda County district attorney’s offices said Alameda County Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill approved the settlement this morning after 41 district attorneys and two city attorneys filed a complaint on Wednesday.
“This investigation touched nearly every county in California, and today’s results could not have been reached without the collaborative work of the many offices involved,” Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a statement.
Prosecutors alleged that Safeway sent hazardous waste including medication, aerosol cans, flammable liquids, batteries, electronic devices and other toxic materials to landfills instead of properly disposing of them.