South Melbourne mum rewarded for reporting dumped trolleys

Abandoned shopping trolleys continue to litter the streets of Port Phillip — and clog up the council’s impound yard. But one South Melbourne woman has been richly rewarded for helping to clear the wayward carts from the neighbourhood.

A shopping trolley dumped in Port Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

Dumped trolleys continue to litter the streets of Port Phillip despite laws forcing supermarkets to install wheel locks or coin-operated mechanisms.

Of the dozens of shopping carts impounded by the council last year, only one supermarket paid the $158 fine to collect a single trolley.

It comes as data from Snap, Send, Solve revealed St Kilda residents made the most complaints in the state last year, including 1117 about dumped rubbish.

Renee Campbell, of South Melbourne, has won $1000 in Woolworths gift cards for her work reporting wayward trolleys. Picture: Supplied

As part of its crackdown on the wayward trolleys, Port Phillip Council made a local law requiring businesses with more than 30 trolleys to install locking devices.

Mayor Bernadene Voss said three had been impounded so far this year.

Meanwhile, one South Melbourne woman has been richly rewarded for dobbing in trolley dumpers.

Renee Campbell won the $1000 monthly Trolley Tracker prize by reporting the abandoned carts.

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Members of the public can report wandering carts online or via the Trolley Tracker app, and someone will be sent to collect them and return them to their home store.

Ms Campbell said an increase in dumped trolleys across South Melbourne prompted her to use the Trolley Tracker app.

She won a $1000 giftcard, which can be spent at any Woolworths Group stores, including BIG W and Dan Murphy’s.

Report dumped trolleys to Trolley Tracker for your chance to win one of five monthly prizes.