Judge orders Bay Area car dealer to pay almost $300,000 for unlawful hazardous waste disposal

A civil complaint alleged that Del Grande Dealer Group did not properly manage hazardous waste and failed to redact or shred paperwork with customer information.

A Bay Area car dealer was ordered to pay almost $300,000 after the company allegedly disposed of hazardous waste unlawfully, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The company — Del Grande Dealer Group, or DGDG — has more than 16 locations in Northern California, including Capitol Volkswagen, Capitol Chevrolet and Stevens Creek Mazda. It was ordered to pay $215,000 in civil penalties in a settlement, the DA’s office said in a news release Tuesday. The company was also ordered to pay about $50,000 for the cost of the investigation and $25,000 to help fund training for California regulators.

The civil complaint against the company was filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office with prosecutors from four other Bay Area counties. Prosecutors alleged that Del Grande Dealer Group did not properly manage hazardous waste, such as brake parts cleaner, automotive fluids and parts containing circuit boards. The complaint also alleged that the company failed to redact or shred paperwork with customer information before disposing of it, according to a press release by the district attorney’s office.

The investigation began in 2021. Investigators found hazardous waste and pages of customer records in company trash containers. Additional inspections also revealed violations at the company’s businesses in Alameda, Solano, Contra Costa and Monterey counties over the next year.

A judge also ordered that the company specify an employee who will manage and oversee its hazardous waste management and employee training programs, according to a statement by the district attorney’s office.

“Hazardous waste and documents containing confidential customer information must be disposed of properly to avoid harm to the environment and consumers,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “It may be more expensive to do it, but it’s the law and it’s worth it.”

A Bay Area News Group reporter’s calls to listed phone numbers for DGDG were met with multiple hang-ups on Tuesday.