The Lexington City Council could adopt an ordinance to deal with abandoned shopping carts. Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright says over 80 Walmart carts were recently found along Buena Vista Drive.
Council Member Jennifer Reynolds agreed it’s an issue. “I had thought over the years that the main reason why there are so many is because a lot of people don’t have a vehicle. So, they go to the store and they don’t have a way of getting their groceries back to their house without the cart,” said Reynolds.
Currently, abandoned carts are treated as litter. The ordinance under review would, among other things, require all businesses with at least 10 carts to develop a retention plan. Those businesses would be given 24 hours to retrieve them, something Council Member Liz Sheehan thought may be too short. Unattended carts with belongings would be stickered with a 72-hour period set before they are removed. Belongings would be stored for retrieval.
The item got Council committee discussion. No action was taken on the matter.
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