A supermarket has been praised by local councillors for its efforts to crack down on the number of its trolleys being dumped around Caerphilly.
County councillors James Pritchard, Shayne Cook and Caerphilly town councillor Shelley Hodder, who all represent the Morgan Jones ward, have welcomed the introduction of a wheel-locking system on trolleys from the Asda supermarket on Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly.
In March, the trio described the issue as “the worst it’s ever been”, with the removal of the pound coin operated system believed to be a key factor.
Cllr Pritchard said: “The installation of cabling to automatically lock the wheels has made it very difficult for trolleys to be taken from the site and dumped. Asda have acted to retain their property, and this is a welcome development.”
Cllr Cook also welcomed the development, and said: “Dumped trolleys have been reported on Pontygwindy Road, Pontypandy and as far away as Parc Avenue. Early signs are we’re seeing a marked reduction in dumped trolleys and this is good”, while Cllr Hodder added: “Residents had been asking us to tackle this issue because the impact on the environment is obvious. Dumped trolleys are an eyesore; local residents do not want to see them cluttering their community.”
Asda had met with Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department and Keep Wales Tidy to tackle the issue.
Keep Wales Tidy Project Officer, Andrew King, said: “It’s great to see Asda are being proactive by installing the new locking system to trolleys in Caerphilly. Once a trolley leaves the Asda site it can end up anywhere causing issues not only on land but also causing major issues in the local waterways across Caerphilly, by creating dams that increase flood risk and stop fish from migrating up and down stream.
“It costs a lot of money to remove them from the waterways with the trolley then becoming unusable.”
David Copner, store manager at Asda Caerphilly, added: “We’re always listening to our customers and looking for ways to make their visit to us even easier.
“As a result of some recent feedback, we’re pleased to confirm that we have introduced a wheel locking system to ensure our trolleys stay where our customers need them.”
About time – should have been done much sooner