By Tate Papworth
A Caroline Springs resident is on a one-man crusade to rid the suburb of dumped shopping trolleys.
Gerald Evans says the problem has been an ongoing issue.
“I went on a walk the other night and came across more than 20 dumped at various locations,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to the manager at Coles and I was told that in the past the trolleys were all coin operated, whereas now they’re not.”
Mr Evans said he was fed up with the lack of action.
“I’ve spoken to the council about it and I get told to report the trolleys, but it’s just a continuing cycle.
“We cop a bit of a bad reputation in Caroline Springs with crime and things of that nature, so I’m on a one-man crusade to make it a bit of a better place in this small way.”
Melton council acting manager compliance Andrew Mason said the onus was on retailers to keep trolleys secure.
“Council manages the Caroline Springs Lake and, at times, has to remove shopping trolleys … as part of regular maintenance and cleaning of the local area,” Mr Mason said.
“Retailers are responsible for shopping trolleys and have reporting services that residents can use to have trolleys collected.
“We respond to collection requests when a shopping trolley hasn’t been picked up by the retailer. In these cases, we impound the trolley and issue an infringement to the retailer.
“We are working with the major retailers to ensure they are addressing this issue.
“We also support the use of coin-based trolleys as a way of getting more people to return trolleys.”
Mr Mason encouraged all residents to report any dumped trolleys.
“Council asks residents to report abandoned trolleys to retailers,” he said.
“Keeping Caroline Springs clean and protecting the natural environment ensures this is a place that residents can safely and proudly enjoy.”
Details: melton.vic.gov.au/Services/Waste/Abandoned-trolleys
