Benjamin Millar
Melton council is cracking down on abandoned trolleys, forcing owners to pay for their return or sending them to be destroyed.
Responding to a recent notion of motion by Cr Bob Turner, councillors have voted to support a “hardline” approach in a bid to stop trolleys being ditched in local parks and streets.
This would include conducting daily patrols of all commercial activity centres between 7am and 9am.
Council officers would impound any trolleys they located and charge their owners a $95 release fee.
Any trolleys not collected within a week would attract an additional $100 fine and the trolley – each valued about $400 – would be sent to the crusher for recycling.
A patrol in February of streets within one to two kilometres of the area’s shopping centres and along the length of main roads such as Caroline Springs Boulevard and High Street on Melton located 60 abandoned trolleys.
Of these, 24 were recovered by their owners and the remaining 36 were impounded by council.
A council report found the current “self-management approach” has not been effective in reducing the number of trolleys left on council-owned land.
“Considering this, it is recommended that council increase enforcement activities,” the report stated.
Councillors at the recent council meeting raised the potential of trolley owners introducing magnetic strips that stopped trolleys being able to be taken outside of the shopping centre areas.
The enforcement and administration of shopping trolley impoundments would cost the council about $40,000 in extra patrols and would require about $7500 to purchase a purpose-built trailer to collect and dispose of the abandoned trolleys.
“The above expenditure would be offset from income derived by infringement notices issued for unclaimed trolleys and/or release fees for impounded trolleys,” the report stated.
Cr Turner said the issue has been going on for a long time and there have been a lot of complaints from the community.
“Hopefully this will put all that to bed,” he said.
