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Abandoned shopping trolleys to be addressed by Latrobe City Council with retailer input

Latrobe City Council's Local Laws Team met retailers in late 2023 to tackle abandoned shopping trolleys, with input from Trolley Tracker and the Waste Management Depot Team.

By news@gippsland - 27th June 2024 - Back to News

Latrobe City Council's Local Laws Team conducted a series of meetings in October and November 2023 with retailers who offer shopping trolleys, to find proactive solutions for the ongoing issue of abandoned shopping trolleys. Representatives from Australia's largest trolley recovery company, Trolley Tracker, and Latrobe City Council's Waste Management Depot Team provided significant input.

Abandoned trolleys in Latrobe City pose social and environmental risks, clogging waterways and causing safety hazards for residents

Trolley problem addressed

Abandoned trolleys across Latrobe City have negative social and environmental impacts. These trolleys can create safety risks for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. In Morwell, Moe and Traralgon, many trolleys are dumped in nearby waterways, clogging rivers, drains, creeks, and culverts, contributing to flash flooding during extreme weather events.

These consultations resulted in several positive outcomes for Latrobe City. Contractor collection services by all major supermarkets in Morwell, Moe, Traralgon, and Churchill have been increased. Dumping hotspots have been identified across the municipality, which will see increased contractor collection services. Trolleys in hard-to-access areas will be removed by a specialist Trolley Tracker contractor, a process which was previously highly costly for the Council Depot crews.

New signage will be displayed at the path leading to waterholes and creeks, advising residents on how to report abandoned trolleys. In addition, major retailers are beginning the process of investigating the feasibility of trolley locking devices and perimeter locks to prevent abandoned trolleys.

Streamlined trolley recovery

Mayor of Latrobe City Council, Councillor Darren Howe, said that these outcomes will make the retrieval of abandoned trolleys simpler, faster and safer. "Recovery of abandoned shopping trolleys is time-consuming and causes risk to health and safety, and significantly lowers the amenity of our region."

"These proactive solutions to the ongoing issue of abandoned trolleys are in line with the Council Plan 2021-2025, which demonstrates a commitment to protect the environment and ensure Latrobe City is a healthy place to live, learn and work," said the Mayor.

Report abandoned trolley

Central Ward Councillor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, has been at the forefront of advocating for proactive solutions to the issue of abandoned trolleys. His assistance in resolving this issue has led to the removal of abandoned trolleys and the improvement of the visual amenity of Latrobe City.

"Fast reporting of abandoned trolleys to the appropriate authorities is the easiest way to keep our environment clean and safe. I urge residents and visitors to report abandoned shopping trolleys as soon as they see them. Hopefully, this overcomes what has become a real nuisance in some areas. Council will also be monitoring the collection response by businesses in the hope that further action is not required," said Councillor Middlemiss.

To report abandoned trolleys from Woolworths, Big W, and Dan Murphy's, contact Trolley Tracker via phone on 1800 641 497 or on the Trolley Tracker website. Abandoned trolleys from Coles and Kmart can be reported via phone on 1800 876 553 or on the Coles website. Abandoned trolleys from Aldi can be reported directly to local laws via phone on 1300 367 700.

Pictures from Latrobe City Council Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com