Please use this form if you want to report an abandoned shopping trolley
Section 99, Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by) section 99,Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
Schedule 4, Environmental Protection Act 1990
Leeds is a vibrant and growing economic city and intends to move forward by becoming one of, if not the cleanest City in Britain. We are taking many different actions and working with numerous partners in order to achieve this.
One specific problem in many communities is that caused by shopping trolleys, and other types of trolley, which have been taken away from their site and abandoned somewhere in that neighbourhood. At the least, these look unsightly and, at the worst, they can fall into rivers and streams leading to blockages and subsequent flooding. Following two recent incidents of serious flooding, the City Council is looking at ways to minimise the risk of flooding in the future. One issue is the removal of abandoned trolleys from our community.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), Schedule 4 contains powers which formally allow a local authority to seize and remove abandoned trolleys, retain them and then sell or dispose of them. The authority can not remove trolleys from private occupied land without the consent of the occupier or without having informed the occupier by Notice that it intends to remove the trolley. If an owner wishes for the trolley to be returned, they may ask for the trolley to be returned at a cost. Schedule 4 of the EPA provides further details if you are interested. This can be found at: www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990.
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 now adds to the EPA and brings the opportunity for the Council to collect, remove and dispose of an abandoned trolley. The Council can then charge the owner for the costs of removal, storage and disposal. This charge is payable on demand and can be recovered as a statutory debt. The charge currently stands at £115 per trolley.
If you wish to report an abandoned trolley, you can do so using this online reporting form, or telephone 0845 124 0113. Please be as specific as you can when completing the form so that the location can be correctly identified. In the majority of cases, trolleys will be removed within 24hrs of being reported. In some cases, such as trolleys in dangerous locations, or when wildlife may be affected during removal, this may take a little longer.