Abandoned shopping trolleys


Abandoned shopping trolleys pollute urban areas, parks, lakes and ponds. They also pose a hazard to pedestrians and cyclists and can be difficult and costly to retrieve.

Major retailers in the ACT must have containment systems in place to help stop shopping trolleys being taken outside shopping precincts. For example, coin operated locking systems, electronic wheel locking mechanisms or staff surveillance.

Discouraging abandoned trolleys

The Litter Act 2004 was amended in 2011 to discourage the abandonment or incorrect use of shopping trolleys in the ACT. These changes included:

  • the creation of offences against the improper use of shopping trolleys
  • the provision of identification on trolleys to assist in their collection if abandoned
  • a proactive trolley collection scheme that allows the ACT Government to respond to a trolley problem in a specific area.

Since the introduction of shopping trolley containment systems, there has been a significant reduction in trolleys abandoned outside shopping precincts across the ACT.

The table below provides a summary of the offences and maximum penalties under the legislation. One penalty unit equals $550 for a corporation and $110 for an individual.

Summary of offences

Offence Maximum penalty
Failure to display a notice about taking a shopping trolley outside of a shopping centre precinct. On the spot fine: $200
Maximum penalty: 10 penalty units
Failure to keep a shopping trolley within your shopping centre precinct.
Please note: This offence does not apply if the retailer operates and maintains a trolley containment system at its premises or takes reasonable steps to ensure that a trolley is not removed from a shopping centre precinct. The offence also does not apply for the first 12 months to any retailer who owns less than 40 trolleys for the operation of their business.		 60 penalty units
Failure to comply with a direction to return a shopping trolley. On the spot fine: $60
Maximum penalty: 10 penalty units
Removing, defacing or interfering with a removal notice attached to a shopping trolley. On the spot fine: $60
Maximum penalty: 5 penalty units

How to report abandoned shopping trolleys

Abandoned shopping trolleys are the property and responsibility of each individual retailer.

If you see a shopping trolley abandoned outside a shopping precinct please contact the retailer the trolley belongs to. A table of contacts is provided below.

RetailerContact details

1st Choice, Coles, Kmart, Target

Visit www.coles.com.au/customer-service/abandoned-trolley or call 1800 876 553

Big W, Dan Murphys, Woolworths

Visit https://trolleytracker.com.au/ or call 1800 641 497

Aldi

Visit Report ALDI's Lost Trolleys or Catalogues

Bunnings

Call 1300 554 777

Costco

Call 02 6246 7500

IGA

Visit www.iga.com.au/contact-us

IKEA

Visit https://www.ikea.com/au/en/customer-service/contact-us/

Supabarn

Call 02 6257 1777

If you cannot identify the retailer the shopping trolley belongs to, you can call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

Abandoned shopping trolley information

Select a topic below to read more about abandoned shopping trolleys.

Obligations for members of the public

Members of the public who remove a trolley from a shopping centre or leave a trolley outside a shopping centre precinct run the risk of being fined.

Under the Litter Act 2004, an authorised person (ACT Government authorised officer or police officer) may give written direction to an individual to return a shopping trolley to a retailer's premises. Failure to comply with this direction may result in a fine.

Obligations for retailers

Major retailers in the ACT must have containment systems in place to help stop shopping trolleys being taken away from the shopping precinct. For example, coin operated locking systems, electronic wheel locking mechanisms or staff surveillance.

The offence of 'failing to keep a shopping trolley within a shopping centre precinct' does not apply if the retailer operates and maintains an approved trolley containment system at its premises or takes reasonable steps to ensure a trolley is not removed from a shopping centre precinct.

Retailers are required to display certain information on their shopping trolleys. This includes:

  • retailer's name
  • location of the store
  • contact telephone number for the retailer or a person authorised by the retailer to collect their trolleys, and
  • the telephone number for the ACT Government shopping trolley hotline (Access Canberra 13 22 81).

Notice to customers

It is important that the community is well informed of their obligations and retailers are, therefore, required to install a notice at the exit of their premises.

The notice must describe the retailer's shopping centre precinct and be situated in a spot that can be seen and easily read by any person leaving the retailer's premises. The description of the shopping centre precinct could be a map or a verbal description. The notice must also contain the following statement:

Under the Litter Act 2004, fines can apply for taking, using or leaving a shopping trolley outside this shopping centre precinct.

The signage requirement aims to build greater awareness among shoppers that removing trolleys from a shopping centre precinct is an offence.

Please see here for an example trolley sign (PDF 67.3KB)

Compliance actions

ACT Government authorised compliance officers identify abandoned trolleys during their regular patrols of Canberra suburbs. They also respond to any reports from the general public for abandoned trolleys.

Where shopping trolleys are found on public land, authorised officers use publicly available apps and reporting systems to alert retailers so they can organise for the trolley to be collected.

An authorised officer or police officer may place a Trolley Removal Notice on the trolley and then contact the retail owner. The retailer is provided with details of the trolley's location and is given 24 hours to collect it. Where shopping trolleys are not removed in a reasonable timeframe, an authorised officer may seize and impound the trolley and require to pay a release fee of $149 (per trolley) for the return of their trolleys.

The ACT Government may remove the trolley without notice to the retailer if there is potential for the trolley to cause injury to a person or animal or to damage property or a public place.

It is an offence for a person to remove, deface or interfere with a removal notice which has been attached to a shopping trolley.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.

To see how we are building stronger relationships with the Traditional Custodians of the ACT view the Reconciliation Action Plan.