General News
26 October, 2023
Dumped trolleys an eyesore for Primrose Street residents
With over 20 shopping trolleys abandoned on a block at Primrose Street, locals are expressing their ongoing disappointment as the problem remains unresolved. A growing issue in Maryborough, multiple spaces in the town continue to be marred by dumped...
With over 20 shopping trolleys abandoned on a block at Primrose Street, locals are expressing their ongoing disappointment as the problem remains unresolved.
A growing issue in Maryborough, multiple spaces in the town continue to be marred by dumped trolleys cluttered around the area — with the problem especially prominent on a property in Primrose Street that currently has around 22 carts and some haven’t been removed for nearly 12 months, according to resident Paul Nugent.
“I first reported it a year ago and now it’s been so long that we’ve got grass growing through them,” he said.
“They’re very unsightly and I think maybe people who can’t afford transport use them to carry groceries but it’s really not a good look.
“I think it’s important to have some consideration for the residents that live nearby before people decide to just discard their trolleys.”
Mr Nugent said that local supermarkets could take more steps to prevent shoppers from taking trolleys away from their premises and should also step up collection efforts.
“I’m really frustrated and don’t know what to do — no one is coming out and taking care of the trolleys,” he said.
“These stores could introduce a system like ALDI, where you put in a coin and get a refund after you return the trolley.
“They really should [do more].”
The Advertiser contacted the three big stores in town, Woolworths, Coles and Kmart, about the issue — the latter did not provide a comment before print deadline.
Reiterating that abandoned trolleys were a nuisance, a spokesperson from Woolworths said that the company had invested millions towards setting up a collection service to mitigate their impact in the community.
“We work closely with dedicated collection contractors who respond quickly to reports of abandoned trolleys to return them to our stores. They also conduct regular sweeps for abandoned trolleys in the streets surrounding our stores,” they said.
“These efforts not only help preserve local amenity, but also ensure we have enough trolleys available for our customers.
“Trolleys are provided for the convenience of our customers and the vast majority do the right thing in returning them.”
A Coles spokesperson also acknowledged the problem and said the store had a similar collection system in place.
“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,” they said.
“Coles provides trolleys to customers for their convenience and spends a significant amount on maintaining them each year, some of which is the cost of having teams out collecting trolleys that have been removed from our premises.
“We are always working to make this better in areas such as Maryborough, including regular collections of abandoned trolleys with vehicles on the road daily.”
Abandoned or dumped trolleys can be reported to their respective supermarket owners by contacting Trolley Tracker on 1800 641 497 for Woolworths, and by calling 1800 876 553 for Coles and Kmart.