Express & Star

West Midlands among worst for dumped trolleys

The West Midlands had 28,907 abandoned stolen shopping trolleys collected last year.

Published
Photo: Trolleywise

The region was sixth in the top 10 of worst areas for trolley loss, compiled by Wanzl, the trolley and retail equipment manufacturer.

Across the UK there were 520,000 abandoned shopping trolleys in total returned to UK supermarkets in 2017 – 1,400 a day and the industry estimates actual abandoned shopping trolley numbers are closer to a million per year across towns and cities with many ending up dumped in canals and rivers.

The cost to British business is £35 million per year, or more than £95,000 every day.

As part of a major new campaign to support UK retailers and local community groups in reducing the issue of abandoned trolleys, Wanzl has launched a new initiative through its Trolleywise service.

The campaign calls on members of the public to help report abandoned trolleys by downloading the new free-to-use Trolleywise app.

People simply take a photo of the trolley using the app which then alerts the nearest Trolleywise collection team. The trolley is then rescued and returned to any retailer that has the service in place.

When a trolley is reported via the app, the user will get an immediate message confirming if the trolley can be collected and then another message when the trolley has been returned to the local store.

Reduce

New research conducted by Wanzl has shown that despite these figures there is a real lack of awareness amongst British shoppers about the scale of the problem. Of those surveyed, 40 per cent said they did not see stolen or abandoned trolleys as a problem and a further 46 per cent only saw it as a ‘bit of a problem’.

Simon King, head of retail systems and Trolleywise at Wanzl, said: “Our retail customers take the issue of trolley abandonment in local communities very seriously and we continue to work closely with them to find a way to reduce the numbers.

"The UK has the highest level of trolley loss in the world, however, our research shows a real misconception about the scale of the issue amongst shoppers. We are hoping that by launching our campaign, we can raise awareness of the problem and engage members of the public to work alongside major retailers and help us to tackle the issue.

“A well manufactured and maintained trolley can have a lifespan of 15 years with many being decommissioned only because they have been abandoned or misused. By working together, we can tackle the blight of abandoned trolleys in green spaces, waterways, and public areas as well as reducing the impact on the environment of manufacturing new trolleys.”

To get involved with the campaign, download the free Trolleywise app or visit trolleywiseapp.co.uk