ARARAT - The dumping of supermarket shopping trolleys in the community is causing frustration for Ararat Rural City Council.
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Councillors requested in July this year that Council and Ararat Regional Business Association look at options for coin deposit systems for shopping trolleys within Ararat.
ARBA's development officer approached the major grocery and retail chains that have fleets of shopping trolleys and asked their intention as to fitting the trolleys with coin deposits.
Apart from Aldi, which has had such a coin deposit system operating since opening, all the chains advised that they have no intention of switching to a coin deposit system now or in the future and have no legal obligation to do so.
Council was told at its November meeting that it has as an option of local laws impoundment of wayward trolleys and this is currently the only option available. At the present time if a trolley is reported to council as being abandoned the Local Laws Officer will collect it and return it to the retailer concerned with no charges, as a goodwill action on behalf of council. Such requests for collection are not a common occurrence.
Council officers said that if the problem escalates to either a community hazard or a continuing unsightly litter issue, Council could enforce the letter of local laws and begin fining retailers and impounding trolleys.
Cr Gwenda Allgood said she found it disappointing that trolleys were being dumped.
"I've found that not only are they left outside on the footpaths outside people's homes there also seems to be a bit of a game where they're actually left in the middle of road," she said.
"I know I've been confronted by them more than once and I don't think it's a very good idea that we can't do something about it, but we will just have to keep talking to the supermarkets.
"I noticed that at least one of them has got a notice on their door telling people to ring them if they find one, and I think that is something we could take up in our page we put in the local papers (Ararat Rural City Focus) to alert people to the fact that there are numbers they could ring with the supermarkets and have them returned, because they can be dangerous.
"I think customers are very foolish to be pushing their groceries home in them."