Christchurch supermarkets told to keep track of trolleys

Supermarkets in Christchurch are on notice to do a better job of collecting their abandoned shopping trolleys.

• First published by RNZ

The Waikura/Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board has asked Christchurch City Council staff to look at options for getting the unsightly trolleys off the streets.

City councillor Yani Johanson said supermarkets need to look at microchipping their trolleys so they could do a better job of gathering them up. Or bring in locking mechanisms so they could not be taken out of car parks.

"People just get sick of having to report it on such a regular basis, and certainly that's the feedback I've been getting from some communities," he said.

"They just think that the operators should take more responsibility."

Foodstuffs said it was up to individual stores to decide if extra measures were needed, and encouraged people to call them so they could be taken back.

Countdown said staff at one of its supermarkets in the east gathered up trolleys at least three times a week.