Susanna Freymark
Two years ago, IndyNR.com interviewed Ben West who said he and a mate had collected more than 60 shopping trolleys from the Richmond River at Casino since 2014.
That’s a lot of dumped trolleys – and many were from Coles Supermarket.
That is unlikely to happen now, at least with the Coles trolleys because the supermarket installed a wheel-locking system on trolleys in mid-September.
This means the trolleys are stopped at a boundary set by the supermarket.
A Coles Spokesperson said, “We are always looking for ways to improve convenience for our customers.”
“We regularly reassess our trolley management approach and consider local feedback when determining the most appropriate measures, including coin locks and electronic wheel-lock systems.”
Casino residents have been asking for the wheel-locking system for a long time – Coles did not explain why they finally decided to fit the system at its Casino store.
It’s good news for dealing with rubbish in the Richmond River and for people like Mr West who spent many hours fishing shopping trolleys out of the waterways.