Abandoned Trolley Consultation
Consultation has concluded
Thurrock is a vibrant and growing place in which to live, visit or do business and spends a significant amount of money each year keeping the Borough clean and tidy for the benefit of all. We take many different actions and work with numerous partners in order to achieve this.
One specific problem in many communities is that caused by shopping trolleys, and other types of trolley which have been taken away from their site and abandoned somewhere in the local neighbourhood.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), Schedule 4 contains powers which formally allow a local authority to seize and remove abandoned trolleys, retain them and then sell or dispose of them. The authority cannot remove trolleys from private occupied land without the consent of the occupier or without having informed the occupier by Notice that it intends to remove the trolley. If an owner wishes for the trolley to be returned, they may ask for the trolley to be returned at a cost.
The Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 now adds to the EPA and brings the opportunity for us to collect, remove and dispose of an abandoned trolley. We can then charge the owner for the costs of removal, storage and disposal. This charge is payable on demand and can be recovered as a statutory debt.
If you are an owner of trolleys, it will become important that you actively prevent/minimise trolley losses, as it could add a significant cost burden to your business. Such steps as coin deposit mechanisms, or magnetic wheel braking are 2 ways that may help to reduce losses.
At the moment, Schedule 4 of the EPA does not apply to Thurrock. Abandoned trolleys are simply collected and dealt with as waste. We are trying to change that so that it does apply to the whole of Thurrock.
Under Section 99 of that Act, we need to consult on those proposals first. It is proposed to actively use these powers to recover the costs of recovery, storage and disposal of abandoned trolleys from the trolley owners in the future.
The costs proposed below reflect the actual costs of collection, administration, storage, staff costs and overheads:
- Collection fee: £70.00
- Admin fee: £35.00
- Storage fee: £15.00 per week (maximum 6 weeks)
- Disposal fee: £35.00
Where a retailer agrees a scheme with Thurrock to have the trolleys returned to store for a set fee, £85 is recommended.
For further information, please view the committee paper - https://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=34797
If you have any observations or comments to put forward you have the opportunity to do so by responding to this consultation below.