Hume council will write to the state government to express its concern with dumped and abandoned shopping trolleys and to call for state-wide legislation addressing the issue.
Hume recently introduced and is now enforcing local laws that address trolley dumping, where responsibility is placed on retailers for dumped and abandoned trolleys.
A notice of motion raised by Hume mayor and councillor Naim Kurt at the August 12 council meeting, recommended that the council write to environment Minister Steve Dimopoulus to highlight the council’s own laws, and to ask that the government investigate statewide legislation to further address the issue.
The report noted that state-wide legislation for shopping trolley dumping exists in New South Wales and South Australia, which like Hume’s local law, places responsibility on retailers.
According to the report, Hume receives about 200 reports each week about trolleys left in streets, parks, and waterways, which it said poses a safety and environmental hazard and tarnishes the region’s aesthetic.
“I think there is room … for some overarching legislation,” Cr Kurt said.
“It’s clear that impounding trolleys alone isn’t enough, and that major supermarkets can easily often replace some of those lost trolleys very cheaply on the market,” he said.
“It’s time to place the responsibility back on the supermarkets and demand that they clean up their act.”
According to the state’s current General Environmental Duty (GED) of the Environment Protection Act 2017, responsibility is on each individual to protect the environment and avoid dumping and littering.
