When talking about the stray supermarket trolleys that are regularly dumped around the city by shoppers who couldn't be bothered taking them back, mayor Reg Kidd's language turned a little fruity.
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Such was the level of irritation it caused Cr Kidd as he made his way about town.
"They are the bane of my life," he said.
"Ever since I've been on council I've talked about trolleys; I don't know how many meetings we've had with supermarkets."
He said that the trolleys that didn't require a gold coin as security deposit were the most likely to be dumped, and suggested that an increased $4 fee for all trolleys could give people a greater reason to return the trolley, or encourage children to return them for a reward.
"Why not?" he said.
"Look, I'm willing to give anything a go to see if it will work."
While some supermarkets and other retailers, including Kmart and Coles, require a gold coin deposit, others such as Woolworths and Big W do not.
"I understand why some elderly people [might not return a trolley], but by jingoes when I've seen some young people with one package in a trolley and they are a good four or five blocks away from the shopping centre, I just question what they're going to do; I know that it's not going to be returned."
Cr Kidd said people who dump trolleys ''don't really give a rat's about the environmental damage they can do, because they end up in creeks and waterways and storm water drains; they obstruct the elderly when they are walking with walking frames; and I've seen other ones roll down a footpath and bang into the back of a car''.
"You only have to have the slightest ding and it can cost thousands of dollars."
He said that people who couldn't afford taxis should take advantage of free transport offered by community groups.
"I think that in Orange it can be downright laziness, and they don't give a hoot about their own community and their environment."
Visually, Cr Kidd said trolleys dumped about town ''look horrible, really horrible''.
"It's like having your front gate hanging off, or your front door. You go along the street and see these people who are house proud, and the next thing you see is a shopping trolley on the corner."
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