More than 33,500 garbage trucks headed for landfills across the country this year never made it, thanks to Albertson's (NYSE: ABS - news) recycling efforts. The Company today announced its recycling efforts prevented more than 352,000 tons of recyclable materials from a trip to the dump -- a 25-percent increase over last year.

''Albertson's recycling efforts as a company are to be commended,'' said Brent Coles, Mayor of Boise, Idaho and President, U.S. Conference of Mayors. ''The Company's actions to reduce pollution and conserve resources, exemplifies the type of commitment needed to maintain healthy cities across America.''

Recycled products include materials such as plastic bags, camera bodies, refrigerant, batteries and bakery buckets. Corrugated cardboard recycled by Albertson's in 2000 totaled 318,134 tons. The cardboard alone could make 2.5 billion new cereal boxes when recycled at a paper mill, or, if flattened would cover the playing surface of 75,000 football fields.

Albertson's, Inc., has been setting a recycling standard for retailers to follow for more than 30 years, and the Company's program continues to expand, as it adds more items to the list of resources that are reused or recycled into useful products, significantly reducing the amount of waste that might ultimately reach community landfills.

''Albertson's, is proud of its rich recycling heritage,'' said Cynthia Forsch, Director of Environmental Affairs. ''We've been recycling since the late 1960s because we recognize the best way to take care of our environment is to prevent pollution from occurring and to conserve natural resources.''

Albertson's, Inc., is one of the largest retail food and drug chains in the United States. Based in Boise, Idaho, the company currently operates more than 2,500 retail stores in 36 states across the United States.

Albertson's, Inc.

Albertson's, Inc.

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