Decision details

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Ellsmore –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         unattended shopping trolleys left in public areas are an eyesore and obstruct the amenity and accessibility of our city; 

(ii)        some retailers have implemented trolley management solutions such as geo-locking trolleys to within the boundary of a supermarket and car park and coin return to incentivise the return of trolleys;

(iii)       in November 2022, the new Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Bill 2021 was introduced;

(iv)       the new offences associated with the new Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 came into effect on 1 May 2023 following a six-month grace period;

(v)        the City has been working on developing and implementing new procedures and fines to collect and manage abandoned items in line with the new Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021;

(vi)       the Act refers to offences of unattended vehicles, trolleys, and shared devices;

(vii)      the Act legislated a three-hour collection time limit on trolleys (for large retailers), vehicles or other items causing a safety hazard, and a seven-day limit for others; 

(viii)    under the new legislation, fines for offences range from $660 per trolley for individuals to $1320 per trolley for businesses who don’t collect the abandoned property;  

(ix)       the Act was introduced to help local governments clean up our public spaces, making them safer, more accessible and more enjoyable for our communities; 

(x)        abandoned items (including trolleys) cost the community and councils $17 million a year in picking up the unattended items; 

(xi)       the new Act is designed to save councils time and money by deterring dumping; and

(xii)      the City of Sydney community has shown consistent frustration at the number of dumped trolleys around the City; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         implement the new procedures required to enact the enforcement of abandoned trolley penalties in line with the new Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021;

(ii)        investigate how the City can improve the management of shopping trolleys in public spaces, including encouraging large retailers in our area to implement responsible trolley management solutions and ensure abandoned trolleys are collected in a timely manner; and

(iii)       report back to Council via the CEO Update.

The motion, as varied by consent, was carried unanimously.

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