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Chapter 178: LITTERING

178-16. Shopping carts. [Added 4-13-1999 by Ord. No. 1849]

A. No person shall surrender or abandon a shopping cart on any private or public premises within the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights except the premises upon which is located the commercial enterprise from which that cart was taken.

B. Any shopping cart abandoned or surrendered in violation of the prohibition contained in Subsection A hereof may be collected by the Department of Public Works and stored by it at such premises as the Superintendent may, in his sole discretion, deem appropriate, without any responsibility of or liability upon this borough in respect to the collection and storage thereof. Any shopping cart so collected and stored may be retrieved by the owner thereof upon presentation of proof of ownership in such form as the Superintendent may reasonably require at such place and during such hours as he or she may reasonably designate and upon the payment to the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights of a collection fee in the amount of $25 per cart so collected plus a storage fee in the amount of $10 per day per cart so stored; thereupon, the owner of such cart or carts shall immediately remove the same from the said storage place at its sole cost and expense.

C. The penalties provided for the violation of any provision of this section shall be the same as those provided in § 178-15 of this chapter.

About Shopping Cart Ordinances

Retailers can struggle to stop cart abandonment, often paying up to $15,000 a year on replacement carts and municipal fines and fees due imposed by communities. These cart regulations and laws are put in place to not only control the environmental impact of abandoned carts, but also to keep towns and cities clean.

Most shopping cart ordinances fall into three categories: The first category is regulations requiring retailers to have a plan to contain and collect errant shopping carts. Secondly, those that define the fines and penalties a city may impose on retailers for abandoned or errant shopping carts. Finally, the third category of rules generally requires retailers to have a system to contain shopping carts, preventing abandonment.