Four big retailers are promising to help keep Rotorua’s streets clear of abandoned trolleys.

Rotorua Lakes Council told Local Democracy Reporting in April it collected about 260 trolleys from the inner city every month.

This was costing ratepayers about $5000 each month.

Since then, the council worked with four shops to manage the issue, as part of its community safety plan development.

District development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston said in a statement representatives from New World, The Warehouse, Pak’nSave and Countdown met with council staff in June to “come up with a locally driven solution”.

Members of the public can call the businesses directly to report abandoned trolleys, who would then aim to pick them up within 48 hours.

“[The] council will work with other businesses that use trollies to encourage them to support the new concept.”

He said the solution was cost-effective and removed the burden on ratepayers.

“The taking of trolleys from business premises is considered theft and when a trolley is abandoned it is considered illegal dumping which the council has the responsibility to clean up.

He said trolleys on roadsides were untidy, a hazard, and abandoned trolleys in public places impacted how locals and visitors felt about the city.

“It may also impact their perception of safety and can harm the environment if they end up in waterways or ditches.”

Gaston said, anecdotally, the most problematic areas in the past few years were streets near Rotorua Central and along Fenton St but there were also reports of abandoned trolleys elsewhere within the city.

“The community does not have an appetite to continue subsidising the cost of abandoned trolley retrieval and as a council, we have a responsibility to ensure we explore all opportunities that stop any unnecessary spending and deliver better outcomes for Rotorua.”

Local Democracy Reporting asked how the process outlined in the statement differed from the one before, and Gaston said the four businesses where trolleys were taken from have “formally committed to sharing the burden which will reduce the cost to council and thereby ratepayers”.

Businesses collecting their own trolleys reduced the need for the council to do so and thereby reduced the cost.

Sometimes it might take longer than 48 hours, he said, but the businesses had committed to do their best.

When asked why it took until September for it to be implemented when discussions were in June, he said it happened alongside other work and required logistics and implementation to be worked through.

The Warehouse Rotorua is located in Rotorua Central and store manager Te Rangi Nicholson said trolleys turned up in “all sorts of places”.

She said it can be “very disruptive for locals” and tricky to return, and encouraged people to call.

“We want to play our part in keeping the streets clear of any abandoned trolleys, and we’re keen to be part of the solution.

“It’s great to be pulling together with other businesses and the council to address the problem.”

Woolworths New Zealand had engaged an independent contractor to collect trolleys for the Rotorua store.

A spokesperson said the contractor would do street run collections and the council would direct trolley pick-ups to the contractor.

Rotorua Lakes Council district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston. Photo / Laura Smith.

Customer complaints would also be directed to the contractor from store management.

Foodstuffs spokesperson Emma Wooster said Pak’nSave and New World stores were owned and operated by locals who were “embedded in their communities as employers and business owners”.

She said they were keen to get stolen and abandoned trolleys back because they were costly to replace and could be a community nuisance.

“The theft and dumping of supermarket trolleys and the funding of their retrieval has been raised as an ongoing concern by the Rotorua community and with the important summer season almost upon us, our local owner-operators have worked with council and fellow business owners to make sure there’s a co-ordinated plan in place to ensure they’re all pulling together to make sure Rotorua is looking it’s best for visitors and locals alike.”

She also said they encouraged people to call the store about abandoned trolleys so a team member could pick them up.

How to report an abandoned trolley:
· Note the shopping trolley brand

· Note the location of the trolley

· Call the correct number

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.