150 trolleys dumped in northern beaches national park

HIDDEN cameras may be used to catch the culprits who have dumped more than 150 supermarket trolleys in a northern beaches national park.

MYSTERY surrounds a huge shopping trolley graveyard in the middle of national park land off the Wakehurst Parkway.

The Manly Daily counted more than 150 trolleys from Coles, Woolworths and IGA in difficult to access bush, just off a bike track in Garigal National Park this week.

The dump site is about halfway up the Wakehurst Parkway between Seaforth and the new hospital at Frenchs Forest.

Dumped trolleys off Wakehurst Parkway. Picture: Adam Yip.

Bizarrely it is a long way from the nearest supermarket, there are no footpaths along the main road for someone to push a trolley and nowhere to park near where they have been dumped.

There is vehicle access along a nearby track through a locked gate.

But, some trolleys were even difficult to reach by foot, down narrow mountain bike tracks.

And, while some were all lined up in a queue, others had been thrown into the bush.

Some were stacked together, others were thrown into the bush. Picture: Adam Yip.

A spokeswoman from the Office of Environment and Heritage said they did not know how the trolleys got there, but would be increasing surveillance, possibly using hidden cameras to catch the culprits.

“The shopping trolleys will be collected and disposed of by the owners,” said the spokeswoman.

“We don’t know how they got there but we will increase surveillance (this may include the use of hidden cameras) to identify and deal with anybody doing this.

“This is the first dumping of this type that we are aware of in this area.

“We will prevent this happening again by increasing surveillance and prosecuting anyone found illegally dumping.”

Dumped trolleys at beauty spot. Picture: Adam Yip.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said they had escalated the issue within their team in order to remove them as soon as possible.

“Trolleys are provided for the convenience of our customers and we find the overwhelming majority of people do the right thing and return them,” said a spokeswoman.

“We work closely with dedicated contractors who sweep the areas surrounding our supermarkets regularly to return any stray trolleys back to our stores.”

Some were from Coles Balgowlah according to the labels. Picture: Adam Yip.

A Coles spokeswoman said they had sent someone to the site and counted 35 trolleys from their stores.

However, the Manly Daily video shows there were more Coles trolleys than that at the two dump sites we saw.

Trolleys have been dumped in Garigal National Park. Picture: Adam Yip.

A spokeswoman said: “Coles is uncertain how the trolleys came to be dumped, however we are working with the local rural fire brigade to gain access to the fire trail to collect and remove the 35 abandoned Coles trolleys.

“Once we reclaim these trolleys they will be assessed for suitability for use.

Trolleys hidden in the bush off the Wakehurst Parkway. Picture: Adam Yip.

“Those that require cleaning will be cleaned and returned to their stores. Any that require repair will be sent to our maintenance contractor for works.”

The public can contact Trolley Tracker if they spy an abandoned Woolworths or IGA trolley via a free phone call 1800 641 497 or the Trolley Tracker app. Coles also have a free phone line for trolley collection on 1800 876 553.

To see the video walk through go to manlydaily.com.au.

Mystery: How did 150 trolleys end up here? Picture: Adam Yip.