Solano County District Attorney Krishna A. Abrams and 45 other California district attorneys, as well as two city attorneys, announced Tuesday that Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has been ordered to pay $2,720,000 in civil penalties and costs.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson said the Virginia-based company not only must pay the penalty but also must improve its hazardous waste disposal at its retail stores and distribution centers in California.

The judgment is the result of an investigation into Dollar Tree’s practice of putting hazardous waste products into store trash bins. Those materials included ignitable and corrosive liquids, toxic materials, batteries, electronic devices and other electronic waste, as well as materials generated through spills and damage.

Jacobson said the hazardous materials were handled illegally and were disposed of improperly at each of more than 480 stores and distribution centers throughout the state. Instead of being taken to authorized hazardous waste handlers, he said, the waste was illegally delivered to local landfills that aren’t allowed to accept those materials.

Abrams said the investigation included statewide examinations of Dollar Tree’s Dumpsters by inspectors from district attorneys’ offices and other environmental regulators who discovered that Dollar Tree was routinely and systematically sending hazardous wastes to local landfills.

Store inspections taking place for several years showed Dollar Tree routinely failed to properly handle and dispose of hazardous waste, Abrams said.

Prosecutors informed Dollar Tree staff about the widespread violations, and the company was cooperative throughout the investigation, she said.

In compliance with terms of the final judgment and permanent injunction, Dollar Tree adopted new policies and procedures and instituted training programs so hazardous waste would be managed properly, Abrams said. “The hazardous waste is now being collected by state registered haulers who transport it to authorized disposal facilities, and disposal is properly documented,” she said.

Of the $1,895,000 in civil penalties the company has been ordered to pay, $52,500 will go to Solano County. The company also has been ordered to pay $425,000 in costs and $400,000 for supplemental environmental projects.

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