Council adopts ordinance requiring large retailers to curb abandoned shopping carts
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Summary
The council approved a new ordinance aimed at reducing abandoned shopping carts citywide by requiring large retailers to implement containment or retrieval systems and to register carts, after staff and retailer discussion.
The Phoenix City Council on Sept. 17 approved an ordinance targeting abandoned shopping carts and requiring large retailers to deploy containment mechanisms or submit retrieval plans. The measure passed unanimously.
Council members said the ordinance balances neighborhood concerns about blight and sidewalk obstruction with the needs of retailers. Vice Mayor O’Brien described a registry and technical requirements for large, multi-store retailers; Councilman Guardado emphasized neighborhood complaints that carts obstruct sidewalks and reduce quality of life.
The city’s neighborhood services division worked with retail representatives, and Lisa Bednar, president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, told the council AFMA is willing to continue working with staff to implement a registry and address cost-recovery concerns. Staff said most cart complaints come from a limited number of large retail firms and that the new rules will focus on locking-wheel systems or equivalent preventive measures and penalties for repeated noncompliance.
The ordinance also included a reminder that existing cost-recovery provisions would remain in place for city retrieval efforts. Council members noted the change is intended to reduce enforcement and cleanup costs borne by neighborhoods and to make sidewalks safer and clearer for pedestrians.
Implementation: City staff will work with retailers to create the retailer registry, define technical standards and a compliance timeline; enforcement will be handled by neighborhood services.