Technology that automatically locks shopping trolley wheels once they leave shopping centre car parks has been proposed to stop trolleys being abandoned all over Orange.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Orange councillor Sam Romano said he unknowingly discovered the wheel locks while at a supermarket in Queensland and wanted to see it in Orange.
He said he was pushing a trolley across a car park when the wheels automatically locked and the trolley would not move further.
I thought 'wow, how good is this'
- Cr Sam Romano
"I must have gone too far," he said.
Cr Romano said when he inspected the trolley he saw the wheel lock which he said was operated by a signal or frequency similar to remote-control operated automatic roller doors.
"I thought 'wow, how good is this," he said.
"I think it is a great idea. It is so simple, you can't even tell."
Cr Romano will ask Orange City Council this week to support his proposal to have council staff speak to supermarkets and trolley providers about the costs of putting wheel locks on trolleys in Orange.
"We're asking the supermarket chains to come on board," he said.
Trolley wheel locks have been used at a Dubbo supermarket since 2012 and are widely used in major cities.
Cr Romano said council could make a 'donation' to the supermarkets if it helped bring the wheel locks to Orange.
"If that's what's going to clean them up, depending on the cost, I'd be happy to support that," he said.
Cr Romano said different strategies might be needed.
"While it is accepted that not every shopping centre has the same issues and therefore technology responses may vary between centres and given there is an ongoing issue with abandoned trolleys, it is considered timely to investigate options and have staff engage with shopping trolley providers," he said.
Cr Romano said shopping trolleys were being pushed all over the city by shoppers who then abandoned them rather than taking them back.
"They're on Summer Street, they're everywhere," he said. Cr Romano said he spotted several dumped at the old Kurim shopping centre site in Glenroi and on Kurim Avenue.
A staff comment to council said abandoned trolleys were a 'constant burden on staff who regularly report the trolleys through to the major store collection agencies.'
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below