On Thursday, October 10, the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee moved favorably on CB-98-2024, which would require retailers with more than 20 shopping carts to take proactive steps to prevent people from taking carts off their property and leaving them elsewhere in the community. The goal of Council Member Wanika Fisher’s (District 2) bill is to cut down on stray carts collecting trash, blocking sidewalks, and/or becoming eyesores.
“This is a huge issue in my district,” Fisher told her fellow committee members Thursday.
The proposed legislation would require all applicable businesses to mark their shopping carts with the store name, address, and phone number, and take at least one proactive anti-theft measure, including having a security guard, installing electronic disabling devices on carts, or implementing a coin deposit method for getting and returning carts. Companies failing to meet these requirements would be subject to a fine of $2,000 per day.
The bill now heads to the full Council for introduction.