THE Northam community is taking a stand against an ongoing epidemic of abandoned shopping trolleys cluttering local streets, parks and waterways, backed by a petition signed by more than 350 residents.

The petition, presented to the Shire of Northam last month, urged council to introduce strict local laws requiring major retailers to implement effective trolley containment systems and enforce prompt collection times.

The document, organised by local volunteer group Clean Up Northam Community, specifically requested council mandate containment measures such as coin locks or geofencing, and requiring retailers to promptly retrieve abandoned units.

The group is calling for urgent action due to the impact on local waterways including the Avon River, where Clean Up Northam representative Sue Rogers said more than 100 trolleys had been removed from the water this year alone.

“This year alone we’ve pulled 120-plus trolleys out of the river,” she said.

“The shire workers cannot do it, and Woolworths trolley collectors aren’t able to pick up the ones on the street, there’s no way they’re going to go fishing them out of the river.

“It’s an eyesore in the main street as well, and something needs to change.”

The group are advocating for preventative containment measures to protect local amenity, vehicle safety in carparks, and pedestrian pathways.

“We’re really trying to promote tourism in town and if nobody pulls them out and it’s just ignored, it’s going to be terrible for the environment,” Ms Rogers said.

“It’s just bad for the wildlife and bird life that we have on our river.

“You can blame the people who take them, you can blame the supermarkets, you can blame whoever you want to blame, but at the end of the day it’s not a good look and something needs to change.”

The petition requests council consider measures requiring retailers to prevent trolleys from leaving shopping precincts, set collection timeframes, establish council cost-recovery mechanisms. Or create enforcement processes for repeated abandonment.

At its October 28 meeting, council unanimously voted to refer the petition to the chief executive officer for consideration, and for a future officer report to be developed and brought back to council for a final decision.