Council to levy increased fines on supermarkets for discarded trolleys

Canterbury City Council (CCC) intends to address the widespread issue of shopping trolleys abandoned in its waterways and public areas by imposing stricter financial penalties on supermarkets. Council members described the discarded metal carts as being “everywhere and ruining the view,” noting that the authority has been compelled to remove hundreds of them over recent years. To combat this problem, the council plans to implement increased charges for supermarkets covering the retrieval, storage, and, if necessary, disposal of these trolleys. Councillor Alister Brady put forward a motion to the CCC, characterizing the carts as “the scourge of our city.” Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, meanwhile, stated their commitment to addressing the matter seriously. Brady commented: “It leads to fly-tipping, leads to more rubbish being placed, leads to the area being run down. Trolleys abandoned in the Stour are incredibly damaging to wildlife – we’ve got a beaver lodge there and the supermarkets seem to absolve themselves of responsibility.” Throughout Canterbury and the wider district, Canenco, the council’s waste management company, is responsible for collecting abandoned trolleys. Supermarkets are billed £82.50 if they retrieve their trolleys within a six-week period. Should a trolley not be reclaimed within six weeks, the CCC proceeds with its destruction and levies a charge of £146.67, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. A Morrisons spokesperson stated: “We take this matter really seriously. As soon as we are made aware of any abandoned trolleys, we work alongside Trolleywise (a company which collects lost trollies) to ensure they are returned back to our stores.” Sainsbury’s conveyed comparable views, with a representative remarking: “We have measures in place to prevent trolleys leaving our estate, including a coin/token operated locking system at our Canterbury store. We also work with a specialist contractor to collect trolleys and ask anyone who sees an abandoned one to report it on the TrolleyWise website, or to the store so we can retrieve it as soon as possible.” Asda and Aldi did not provide a response when contacted for comment. For further updates, follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.