STRAY shopping trolleys spread far and wide have become so ubiquitous in Ballarat they have become the official symbol of a local meme page.<\/p>\n
Curator of The Other Ballarat account on Instagram said the page receives so many photos of the problem carts that it\u2019s literally become a beloved joke.<\/p>\n
“In a carefully curated social media world, shopping trolleys have become a symbol of realness, of evidence of flawed humanity amongst the sunset scenes that pervade our timelines,\u201d they said. \u201cPeople are definitely starting to view them with affection and humour.”<\/p>\n
But all jokes aside, the issue of shopping trolleys spread throughout the city can also present a problem.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Coles said abandoned trolleys are a \u201cnuisance\u201d to any community.<\/p>\n
\u201cColes provides trolleys to its customers for their convenience and spends a significant amount on maintaining them each year, some of which is the cost of collecting trolleys that have been removed from our premises,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are actively working to make this better across the Ballarat area, including weekly collections of abandoned trolleys\u2026 and maintaining wheel lock systems and coin locks to discourage trolleys being removed from our premises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2017, the abandoning of trolleys on roads or municipality-owned land has been prohibited under local law 37 which remained in place during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Last year, the municipality responded to nearly 700 local law complaints which included abandoned trolley pickups.<\/p>\n
With abandoned trolleys a constant issue, there are many ways that people can report them.<\/p>\n
The City of Ballarat utilises the Snap, Send, Solve app alongside online forms and calls to the customer service team to handle reports.<\/p>\n
Coles, Dan Murphy\u2019s and Woolworths outlets have partnered with the Trolley Tracker service in assisting with reporting.<\/p>\n
Trolley Services Australia director Chris Ford said their number of reports dropped off significantly during lockdowns, and that their current numbers exceed pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s not necessarily because there\u2019s more trolleys out there, but we have a new version of our app in operation\u2026 which is easier to use,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proportion of people reporting with our app has definitely increased. The collection standards, we would hope, have tightened up as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ford said the onus of stray trolleys should be on the person leaving it rather than councils or stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cRetailers give the trolley to you for a short period to help transport your goods. Your part of the deal is to take it back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people do, but there\u2019s that small proportion of people who don\u2019t. After a quick period, they can end up in stormwater drains, parks, bushlands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can be quite an environmental menace.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a Woolworths spokesperson, the chain \u201c[invests] millions\u201d into trolley collection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work closely with dedicated collection contractors who respond quickly to reports of abandoned trolleys to return them to our stores,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also conduct regular sweeps\u2026 in the streets surrounding our stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese efforts not only help preserve local amenity, but also ensure we have enough trolleys available for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for comment, ALDI declined to offer a representative and to divulge the number of collected trolleys in the area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STRAY shopping trolleys spread far and wide have become so ubiquitous in Ballarat they have become the official symbol of a local meme page. Curator of The Other Ballarat account on Instagram said the page receives so many photos of the problem carts that it\u2019s literally become a beloved joke. “In a carefully curated social […]<\/p>\n