A trolley abandoned in front of the big Nowra entrance sign on the highway – a regular occurrence – sends an unfortunate message about our town to the thousands of visitors passing through.

The scourge of the abandoned shopping trolley has been a hot button topic for years but one that somehow despite considerable effort remains unresolved.

In the ACT, retailers who don’t collect impounded shopping trolleys within 24 hours of being notified face a $190 fee for each trolley. In Ashfield people caught abandoning trolleys near shopping centres face a $110 fine. 

And in Shoalhaven, people caught abandoning trolleys will soon face a $220 fine. The only trouble is rangers have to catch them in the act to be able to impose the on the spot fine and, of course, rangers can’t devote themselves solely to tackling the feral trolley problem – there simply isn’t the available manpower.

Shifting the onus of responsibility to retailers seems to be the course of action most likely to yield a result. If all major retailers were compelled to provide coin-operated trolleys – most do, but we’re let down by the minority that don’t – it’s a short odds bet the trolley plague would be stopped in its tracks. No one likes parting with money if they don’t have to.

Some years ago Shoalhaven City Council was on track to pursue this course of action but bowed to a small public outcry about inconvenience. Old habits die hard but they do die if choice is taken out of the equation. The general amenity of our towns and suburbs should override petty arguments about inconvenience, which are threadbare anyway if most major retailers employ coin-operated trolleys.

The city as a whole will benefit greatly if the rogue trolleys were finally corralled once and for all.