Tulsa pilot program has removed nearly 2,000 shopping carts; city and vendor press retailers for buyback

Part Repo and Tulsa staff reported at the TARE meeting May 27 that the city-supported shopping-cart collection pilot has removed nearly 2,000 carts from public rights of way and storm systems but still lacks broad retailer buyback to close the recovery loop.

Shantel Mohammed, co‑founder and chief financial officer of Part Repo, told the board the vendor collected 1,917 carts from December 2024 through April 2025 and that “nearly 70% of those belong to a retailer.” She said Part Repo has completed a resale back to a retailer (identified in the presentation as Reesers) and continues outreach to other corporate and local store managers.

The pilot matters because abandoned shopping carts create nuisance and public‑safety problems when they wind up in storm drains, creeks or roadways, and because retailers bear much of the replacement cost. The city funded the pilot with a mid‑year budget adjustment of $100,000 and pays Part…