COURT HOUSE – Middle Township is host to a significant number of retail establishments that rely on shopping carts as a convenience for customers; however, too many of those carts end up at bus stops, in neighborhoods, and along municipal roads.
Not only are they an eyesore, but they frequently also represent a safety hazard when they end up blown into roadways. Picking up abandoned carts and storing them at the Public Works facility is also an expense that ends up being charged to the municipality’s taxpayers.
In 2021, Middle Township Committee adopted an ordinance aimed at compelling better control of shopping carts by the merchants who provide them to customers. At its most recent meeting July 6, the municipality introduced an ordinance amendment reinforcing the responsibility of merchants to control the use of shopping carts.
The ordinance requires the merchant to name an individual or agent who is authorized to accept a summons for noncompliance with municipal regulations. It reemphasizes the responsibility of cart owners to provide “accurate and updated” copies of a cart containment plan to the Township Clerk, with a fine for those who neglect to do so.
The ordinance establishes penalties for failure by the merchant to pick up carts that have had to be impounded by municipal personnel. The ordinance also allows for unretrieved carts to be sold or otherwise disposed of.
A second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for the Aug. 1 committee meeting, where a public hearing will be held.
