The target for a new Langley Township shopping cart bill isn’t the homeless – it’s mostly the stores themselves.
Both the Township and the City are considering new bylaws and regulations for controlling the spread of shopping carts off store premises.
“We’re seeing more and more of these abandoned carts,” said Ramin Seifi, the Township’s general manager of community development.
Township staff collect and temporarily store about five to 10 carts a week, Seifi said.
“We have definitely identified an increasing trend,” he said.
Langley Township decided to deal with the problem by penalizing people who steal and abandon shopping carts, and on stores that see a lot of them stolen.
The new bylaw, if given final approval, will allow the Township to dispose of any unclaimed shopping cart after seven days.
Retailers “need to be more conscientious and more responsible, accountable for those carts,” said Seifi. The Township hopes this will encourage cart security measures by retailers.
Langley City is contemplating its own bylaw, although it may not be the same at the Township’s, said City Mayor Ted Schaffer.