City council to launch new abandoned trolley policy with £100 return fees for shops

Newport is preparing to launch a new abandoned shopping trolley policy which could land supermarkets with £100 fees for their return.

The city council said dumped trolleys have a “negative visual impact”, contribute to antisocial behaviour and can harm wildlife and waterways.

It described current collection services as “far from sufficient” and noted contaminated or fly-tipped trolleys can remain uncollected.

Under the new proposals, the council will collect abandoned trolleys from public land and charge owners £100 for their return or disposal.

If a trolley isn’t collected in six weeks, the council may recycle or dispose of it.

It is hoped the move will “increase residents’ satisfaction with the place where they live” – as well as reduce the number of dumped trolleys and encourage businesses to bring in their own control measures to prevent their trolleys being taken.

Charging £100 for a trolley’s return will prove more attractive to supermarkets than typically spending between £120 and £200 on a new replacement, the council believes.

The cabinet member for waste and recycling is expected to sign off on the new abandoned trolleys policy later this week.

The council said any money it makes from the policy will be set aside for enforcement work such as “preventative campaigns” around fly-tipping or littering.

Illegal waste dumping has long plagued Newport, and Senedd member Natasha Asghar recently dubbed the city “Wales’ fly-tipping capital”, with more than 7,000 incidents reported last year.

Responding to incidents of illegally dumped waste puts “extra pressure on finance and resources” at the council, she added.

According to the council, a “significant proportion” of fly-tipping is “linked to commercial operations or rogue waste collectors”, especially in rural areas on the city’s fringes.

A council spokesperson said the local authority was, like residents, “sick and tired of fly-tipping” and “would rather not have to spend your money on cleaning up other people’s illegally dumped mess”.

Anyone wishing to report fly-tipping in Newport, or wishes to pass on information about illegally dumped waste, may do so on the city council’s website or by calling 01633 656656.