It is estimated that 10,000 trolleys are stolen each year. The replacement cost to major supermarket chains is only £80 each but a typical council’s burden from discovery to disposal has led to costs of up to £200 per trolley.
Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, councils can demand recovery costs from supermarkets whether the trolley is returned or destroyed.
Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA’s Environment Board said:
"Councils are finding themselves spending around £5,000 each per year sorting out this problem. Without the new legislation the annual bill for England alone would soon mount up to £2m.
"The most effective solution to abandoned trolleys is partnership working between councils and local businesses and this is already happening in a number of areas. The new powers will transfer more of the responsibility for trolleys to their owners and ultimately encourage them to invest in more preventative measures such as the £1 coin mechanism to prevent the loss in the first place."
Examples of how councils are using the new powers include:
The LGA in partnership with Defra, the Environment Agency and the British Retail Consortium is in the process of drafting best practice guidance on how councils can work with retailers and other trolley owners to set up local collection schemes and agree actions to prevent them from being taken off-site in the first place. This guidance will be available on Defra’s website later in the year.
Want to prevent heavy fines from local authorities? Why not see further information on our Radlok product to see how this can make a huge difference to your trolley retention strategy.
Contact: Stuart Howell – Project Sales Manager – Radlok
Stuart.Howell@itabuk.com
or call 07773 790003 for a site survey