DOVER, DE- Streets and neighborhoods across Dover are increasingly plagued by abandoned shopping carts, prompting city leaders to take action with a new proposed ordinance aimed at curbing the issue.
The ordinance would require businesses to register their carts, mark them with identification, and post signs to prevent unauthorized removal.
Carts that are left unattended or lack proper signage for 30 days may be removed and disposed of by the city.
Councilman Fred Neil, who co-sponsored the ordinance, explained its key provisions:
“Basically, it calls for the property owner to identify the carts that belong to them and have signs up to ensure that anyone taking a cart out is leaving their premises. If the cart is beyond their premises, it becomes theft.”
If passed, businesses would face a $25 fine for each abandoned cart unless they can prove preventative measures were taken to secure them. The city would be authorized to impound abandoned carts, returning them to businesses and charging fines for unclaimed carts.
To encourage businesses to take responsibility, Neil explained that the ordinance proposes consequences for repeated violations.
“If we have five carts from the same company, we will take them to one of their locations, drop them off, and issue a fine.”
While businesses would be held accountable, Neil emphasized that fines would be flexible based on the circumstances. It will be up to the city manager to determine whether businesses took reasonable steps to prevent carts from being stolen. If the manager deems that no effort was made, fines would be enforced.
The ongoing issue of abandoned shopping carts scattered around neighborhoods and streets in Dover has impacted both businesses and residents, with many saying it's more than just an eyesore.
Crystal Alfaro, the owner of El Super Latin Groceries, has been forced to adopt extreme measures to prevent carts from being taken.
“The reason why we have our carts inside is because, unfortunately, there’s a lot of homeless people who walk up and down the highway, and they tend to take the carts. We don’t leave them outside. If we did, we’d have to lock them up, and that’s too much work. So, we just leave them inside. It works better for us.”
Currently, taxpayer dollars fund the city's cleanup efforts for abandoned carts. However, city officials hope the proposed ordinance will shift some of the responsibility to businesses, prompting them to take more active measures to prevent the problem.
The ordinance has gained support from city leaders, and the Dover City Council is set to vote on the proposal in January 2025. If passed, it could bring significant changes to how abandoned carts are handled in the city.