Many of the residents in communities around the Australian town of Redland have had it with shopping carts taken from store lots and dumped on the side of the road, near creeks and elsewhere marring the landscape.
One resident of nearby Ormiston, Lee Waters, went so far as to take photos of carts dumped in Ross Creek at Cleveland and send them to the Bayside Bulletin to make his point in print.
"It's a disgrace," he said.
The Deputy Mayor of Redland, Peter Dowling, said there was one practical solution to the problem and it could be found at Aldi.
The limited assortment grocery chain charges consumers to borrow carts from its stalls. When consumers return the carts, they get their money back. Anyone trying to move the cart off the store's lots will find the wheels lock up at its perimeter.
Mr. Dowling said other retailers could also use a deposit system to allocate carts to shoppers. He recommended a $2 fee to make sure carts are returned.
"I've yet to see an Aldi trolley anywhere but Aldi," he said.
Discussion Questions: What is the answer to put an end to wandering shopping carts? Does an Aldi-like system for allocating shopping carts make sense for all retailers?