Marion Council may start selling shopping carts in a bid to reduce trolley dumping
Marion Mayor Kris Hanna wants his council to sell shopping carts, believing people wouldn’t then take and dump trolleys.
- Marion Council move to penalise supermarkets for dumped trolleys
- Marion declares war on shopping trolleys
- Onka councillor suggests free taxi vouchers to cut trolley dumping
- Call for action to prevent trolleys being dumped in the south
Marion Mayor Kris Hanna wants his council to investigate selling shopping carts to residents as part of its campaign to rid the streets of abandoned trolleys.
Mr Hanna, who is on a crusade to stop supermarket trolleys being dumped in the district, has also suggested the council look into subsidising grocery delivery in a bid to combat the problem.
His latest calls come as Marion investigates creating a by-law to penalise supermarkets if their trolleys are found abandoned in the council district.
The by-law could require shopping centres to install a wheel-lock system which would prevent trolleys from leaving the premises, or give the council the power to impound abandoned trolleys and force retailers to pay a fee to release them.
Council staff collect about 25 dumped trolleys each week, with most found near Westfield Marion.
Mr Hanna said shopping carts would cost about $30 each, which the council could sell at cost to residents, to help them carry their groceries home.
“The idea is to give people the opportunity to walk home with their shopping without leaving a trolley in the street,” Mr Hanna said.
“If the council bought several hundred we could probably get a discount, which we could pass on, and encourage people to do the right thing.”
Mr Hanna said subsidising grocery delivery — in partnership with retailers and the State Government — was an idea put to him by staff.
He said it would be more complicated to implement as the council would have to decide who would be eligible but that he was open to the idea.
“I’m happy to look at all options,” he said.
“We’ve got this punitive idea about trolleys left on streets, which punishes the owners, but I think as part of that there could be a positive approach where we give something to people so they don’t have to take the trolleys home.”
Marion Council is leading the charge against trolley dumping and last year held a summit with 50 retailers to demand action.
It would be the first South Australian council to introduce a by-law punishing supermarkets for its abandoned trolleys, if the solution was adopted later this year.
Mr Hanna’s motion will be debated on Tuesday night.
