City council set to clampdown on abandoned trolleys

Nicholas Thomas – Local democracy reporter 

A local authority will begin charging retailers £100 if any of their trolleys are found abandoned on public land.

Newport City Council has taken on powers to seize and remove abandoned shopping trolleys, which can then be reclaimed by their owners for a fee starting Thursday (February 26).

The council will store seized trolleys for six weeks and plans to dispose or recycle any which are not claimed after that time.

It hopes the new policy will help clean up the city and tackle associated problems, such as fly-tipping or antisocial behaviour.

Speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday February 24, Cllr Yvonne Forsey, the cabinet member for waste, said the local authority was “fully committed to raising environmental standards across the city, tackling litter and fly-tipping in all its forms”.

She explained a statutory notice period on the new policy had been completed, meaning it could be brought into force.

From February 26, “residents will be able to report abandoned trolleys to the council online, who will then retrieve them from public land” and “the cost of collection will be covered by charges to retailers at £100 per trolley recovered”.

Cllr Allan Screen said he was “sure residents in Duffryn will be pleased” to hear the policy was due to start, and commended the council for “putting a real focus on tackling fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping”.

The latest available figures on fly-tipping show Newport recorded the most incidents of illegal dumping (7,318) of any Welsh council in 2024-25.

Cllr Forsey said the city’s new budget – approved on Tuesday – included funding for an extra team “to increase the capacity to provide deep-cleaning to areas most in need”.

The budget will also fund an extra officer “to increase the response to fly-tipping incidents on private land”, and an expansion of the council’s network of CCTV cameras “to help identify and take action against offenders”.

“Together these measures form part of a wider programme to ensure cleaner neighbourhoods and stronger enforcement across Newport,” the cabinet member added.

To report an abandoned trolley, visit https://www.newport.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/fly-tipping-and-litter/abandoned-shopping-trolleys