Trolleys in Cooks River: Sydney Water say supermarkets should lock the trolleys
Shopping trolleys are being dumped in Cooks River, forcing Sydney Water to call out supermarkets for not using locking systems.
SHOPPING trolleys are being dumped in Cooks River, forcing Sydney Water to call out supermarkets for not using locking systems.
Dozens of trolleys are recovered from the river in Campsie each year, but supermarkets have so far declined to introduce systems that automatically lock trolleys wheels when they leave their premises.
A spokesman from Sydney Water said without the help of supermarkets, they can do little else other than clean up the mess.
“Sydney Water removes about 30-50 trolleys from the Cooks River each year, with most cases being in response to reports from the community and staff,” the spokesman told the Express.
“Sydney Water has been in discussions with nearby supermarkets with an aim to have locking systems applied to their trolleys, but have not received a favourable response to date.
“Unfortunately, without the co-operation of these supermarkets, there is little Sydney Water can do other than remove the trolleys when they are reported to us.
“Occasionally our staff recover dumped trolleys from along the banks of the Cooks River and then arrange for the relevant owner to collect them.
“Sydney Water collects and removes more than one million plastic bottles each year from its litter booms and traps throughout the stormwater network, including from the Cooks River.”
Local groups have singled out Woolworths — among the biggest stores in the area — for not better managing their fleet of trolleys which they say are also found on footpaths, in parks and near railway stations.
A Woolworths spokeswoman said their Campsie store had not received any increase in reports about abandoned trolleys recently.
“We work closely with dedicated contractors, who sweep the areas surrounding our supermarkets each day and return any stray trolleys back to our stores,” she said.
Cleaner Campsie, a volunteer group started by friends Shyama Sri and Isabella Whitington earlier this year with their own money, said they had tried to get Woolworths to clean up its littered trolleys.
“Woolworths Camspie are contributing to the pollution problem in Campsie, specifically the trolleys turning into mobile bins and littering the suburb, many of them ending up in the Cooks River,” Ms Sri said.
“Cleaner Campsie has called Woolworths on a number of occasions regarding this matter to no avail.”
A Canterbury Bankstown Council spokeswoman said it hasn’t received many reports.
“This year there have only been a few instances reported to council,” the spokeswoman said.
Rubbish has been an ongoing problem in Cooks River.
■ Report dumped trolleys to Trolley Tracker on 1800 641 497.
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