Everyone who has a smart phone can download the two free apps which allow you to report a dumped shopping trolley. These are Trolley Tracker and “Trolley Collect”. These are easy to use apps that use your current GPS location to send the address of the trolley to the collection service. We are especially encouraging local Apprentices and University Students as Trolley Tracker has a monthly draw with a winning amount of $1,000.
As the Central Coast continues to grow with more and more people choosing to live in this iconic coastal area, the ever present problem of shopping trolleys in our streets grows. It would seem this problem is here to stay with only limited progress on stemming its impact in recent years. The longer the trolleys remain on the street the more they are used by others and end up in the way of walkers and cars, and in many cases in the creeks and on the beach.
Across the state there have been a number of trials of methods to reduce the number of trolleys leaving shopping centres, like the grates at Deep Water Plaza and there has also been changes to the local government act to allow Council Rangers to fine people for leaving a trolley on public land.
For those without a smart phone, most trolleys have a phone number on the handle which you can call and give the address. This service will also notify the collection services. We performed a quick survey and found in Umina Beach that all stores except Woolworths have a phone number on the trolley handle.
The Australian Retailers Association of NSW and Local Government Association of NSW have also developed a code of practice to guide retailers and Council to work together to try reduce the rate at which trolleys are dumped. Umina Community Group would prefer to see a more definitive policy by Central Coast Council along the lines of that implemented in Waverly Council. The Waverly Council example has important measures that would see all future Development Applications to include specific considerations on Trolley Management Programmes which the Council could then monitor. If fact, we are encouraging our residents to hold this question over to the upcoming council elections and then have residents request candidates to support the implementing of an approach similar to that of Waverly Council like approach.