Bristol Living Rivers Project - Initiative - Abandoned Supermarket Trolleys

Why are trolleys such a problem?

The issue of abandoned supermarket shopping trolleys has become a national problem with supermarket trolleys turning up in the unlikeliest places.

However, not only are these trolleys turning up in carparks, on the side of roads and under bridges, they are also causing serious problems in Bristol's rivers & streams. The issue of supermarket shopping trolleys that have been irresponsibly dumped in our watercourses in Bristol is something that a lot of people, including the Bristol Living Rivers Project are concerned about.

An abandoned trolley in a river soon gathers debris and other rubbish. Not only is this unsightly, but it can also cause a serious flood risk as they block up the river channel, reducing the volume of water that flows down the river during flood conditions.

[back to top]

What are we doing about it?

In 2005 the Bristol Living Rivers Project set up the Abandonned Trolley Campaign to tackle this problem in a co-ordinated way with a view to finding a long term solution.

The Campaign was launched in January 2005 with a survey on all of Bristol's watercourses to identify where the trolley dumping hotspots are and to identify which stores are the biggest culprits. As part of the campaign, we contacted all the Bristol stores and supermarkets that provide trolleys for their customers and asked what they could do to help prevent their trolleys being taken away and dumped in our watercourses.

In March 2006, a partner in the group, Clean and Green carried out a public consultation to canvas views on implementing a cost recovery scheme in Bristol for abandoned trolleys. The consultation found:

• 94% of respondents agreed that trolley owners / supermarkets should be responsible for the costs of removing, storing and returning their abandoned trolleys.
• 90% of respondents support Bristol City Council adopting new powers to seize, store, return and/or dispose of abandonned shopping trolleys.
• 78% of reposndents were Bristol citizens, 9% were from community / environmental organisations
• No trolley owning organisations responded.

Following this consultation, a new scheme was established in Bristol to solve this problem. A private company is now operating in the area to collect abandoned trolleys, not just in our rivers and streams but also anywhere they are dumped citywide.

The company then returns these trolleys to the supermarkets for re-use or disposal at a cost.

The Bristol Living Rivers Shop-that-Trolley survey results are available below:

Shop-that-Trolley - 2005 Survey

Shop-that-Trolley - 2007 Survey (Summary)

Shop-that-Trolley - 2007 Survey (full report)

[back to top]

Reporting abandoned supermarket trolleys

To report an abandoned supermarket trolley please call Bristol City Council customer services on tel: 0117 9222100

To assist the removal of the trolley, when you call please have the following information ready;

1. Where the trolley is located (or the nearest road name)
2. The owner of the trolley
3. The date & time you saw the trolley

All trolleys will be collected and returned to their owners.

[back to top]