Hume councillor Sam Misho wants serious crack down on dumped trolleys clogging up streets

Supermarkets could soon face hefty fines as a fed-up council plans to launch a fresh crackdown on abandoned shopping trolleys junking up Melbourne’s north.

Melbourne council to crack down on trolley trash. Picture: Supplied/Generic.

A fed-up Melbourne council is taking aim at retailers over the plague of abandoned shopping trolleys junking up local streets.

Hume City Council will vote on a tough new crackdown on Monday night demanding supermarkets stop turning a blind eye to the trolley mess.

Hume council wants to crack down on abandoned trolleys scattered around, with one councillor saying enough is enough. Picture: supplied.

Roxburgh Park councillor Sam Misho — who is behind the push — said dumped trolleys were making the city look like a junkyard demanding retailers be held accountable.

“Retailers don’t care about patrons taking trolleys out to the streets because they just want sales … it becomes the contractor’s problem to go collect that trolley,” Cr Misho said.

An abandoned shopping trolley in a Hume park. Picture: supplied.

He wants supermarkets to finally act on longstanding calls to roll out coin-lock systems and take back responsibility for cleaning up their own mess.

“Let’s not take a relaxed attitude (towards abandoned trolleys) but rather set some really serious punitive measures that will make the retailers come to the party,” he said.

If the motion passes, retailers will have to work with shopping centre management to build dedicated trolley bases and enforce coin-operated systems.

It comes after changes to Hume’s General Local Law in 2023, forcing retailers to manage their trolleys — but council officers say many are still ignoring the rules.

Hume City Council will vote on a tough new crackdown Monday night, demanding supermarkets stop turning a blind eye to the trolley mess.

In her report, council officer Kristen Cherry stated that despite the council undertaking several initiatives, “abandoned trolleys continue to be a visible concern”.

The new motion, if voted for, would kick off a citywide audit of trolley management and see formal notices issued to retailers reminding them of their legal obligations.

Those who don’t comply could be hit with fines.

A report will also be drawn up showing how many retailers are flouting the rules which will also recommend what tougher steps council officers should take.

A Woolworths spokesman said the company worked closely with collection contractors — who regularly sweep streets near stores — to respond quickly and return trolleys.

“We understand abandoned trolleys can be a nuisance, and that’s why we invest millions in collection services and have additional measures in place, which feature a locking mechanism to help mitigate their impact on the community,” he said.

A Coles spokeswoman said a “significant amount of money and resources” was spent on maintaining trolleys.

“We are continually working to make this better across the Hume City Council area, including a focus on the regular collections of abandoned trolleys with vehicles on the road,” she said.

“We are always reassessing our trolley management and take local feedback into account when deciding what methods to employ at any of our stores, including the use of coin locks and electronic wheel lock systems.”