As part of a legal settlement, Safeway Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $10 million in penalties for illegally disposing hazardous waste in local California landfills over seven years.

A civil environmental lawsuit had been filed against the American supermarket chain on December 31, 2014 by more than 40 county district attorney offices and two city attorney offices in California.

Waste from cleaners, aerosols, hair dyes and other products were disposed at more than 500 stores and distribution facilities after the materials were spilled, expired, damaged or contaminated.

In addition to the fines, Safeway must also conduct yearly store audits and improve their practices.

The settlement comes just one month after the United Nations (UN) issued a report warning that companies failing to use safer chemicals face big fines.

The Mind the Store campaign, an initiative of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, has been urging Safeway and other retailers to create a responsible plan of action to address toxic chemicals in products.

“This settlement shows that retailers who don’t properly manage toxic chemicals in their supply chain do so at their own financial risk,” said Mike Schade, Mind the Store campaign director for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. “We urge Safeway to adopt a comprehensive policy to identify, eliminate, and safely substitute hazardous chemicals in products on their store shelves.”

Safeway isn’t the only top retailer to empty out its pockets. The UN report also noted that over the past three years, Walmart, Target, Costco Warehouse, Walgreen Co. and CVS Pharmacy paid a total of US $138 million in fines because dangerous chemicals were found in their products.