Darwin becoming a trolly-hazard

TROLLEYS littering the suburbs are a result of “bone-idle lazy people”, a resident has said.

Stray Trolleys are causing havoc in the Suburbs of Darwin, Trolley collector on Trower Road.

TROLLEYS littering the suburbs are a result of “bone-idle, lazy people”, an angry Darwin resident says.

The resident, who wishes to only be known as Len, a 65-year-old who cycles 15km a day, is annoyed with the number of trolleys littering the front of his home in Marrara.

“I just think they’re bone- idle, lazy people. They just leave them out the front, and take them half-way or a quarter-way back,” Len said. “They don’t care – they’re just lazy.”

Stray trolleys are also a safety hazard for Len.

“They just leave them on the track. Sometimes I come here in a complete daydream and not looking where I’m going, and there’s a bloody trolley,” he said.

The problem of abandoned trolleys isn’t just concentrated in Marrara, either.

Trower Rd, outside Casuarina Mall, looked like a shopping trolley bay over the weekend, with more than 10 trolleys parked along the footpath. Around the corner, three trolleys were left parked in front of a unit.

City of Darwin general manager of corporate services Diana Leeder said council responded to all complaints relating to abandoned trolleys.

“Suspected abandoned trolleys are reported to Trolley Trackers who are given 24-48 hours to have the responsible supermarket collect the trolleys,” she said.

If the trolleys are not removed, the council impounds them and releases each trolley with a fee of $129.

Woolworths spokesman Russell Mahoney said Woolworths uses contractors to do regular patrols around local areas to find and return trolleys. “How often and where depends on the store,” he said.

Coles did not respond.

As of next year Monash City Council, in Melbourne, will fine supermarkets if they do not have a coin-deposit or wheel-lock system on their shopping trolleys.

The Darwin council would not comment on whether it had plans to follow suit.