Dive Brief:

• Safeway must pay $9.87 million to settle a civil environmental lawsuit filed by the district attorneys of eight California counties.
• The DAs accused Safeway of unlawfully handling and disposing of hazardous materials and pharmaceutical waste from spills and customer returns, which were then "routinely and systematically" sent to local landfills, in more than 500 of its stores and distribution centers over a period of seven and a half years.
• In addition to the monetary settlement, Safeway admits to no wrongdoing but will continue environmental compliance programs in its stores, annually audit all dumpster units, and partner with state and federal agencies to coordinate regulatory reform of medicine disposal.

Dive Insight:

This settlement may come as no surprise to anyone following similar lawsuits in California that involved the hazardous waste dumping practices of other retail companies, including Walmart and Costco. In this case, the list of Safeway's illegally dumped products included everything from over-the-counter medications and pharmaceuticals to batteries, aerosol products, ignitable liquids, and electronic devices. And if Safeway wasn't in enough hot water, the settlement also resolved allegations that the company had unlawfully mishandled the disposal of customers' confidential medical information.