Suwanee looking at possible shopping cart ordinance

Suwanee leaders are concerned about shopping carts that are abandoned throughout the city. City staff is recommending the adoption of an ordinance that would require businesses with shopping carts to have a plan for retrieving abandoned carts and provide for fines for businesses that do not retrieve the carts in a timely manner.

At the city’s most recent city council meeting, the potential new ordinance was tabled for later discussion while more information is gathered.

This is an issue that has been addressed in other cities with an ordinance. Savannah’s abandoned shopping cart ordinance requires businesses with 10 or more carts to have their retail name and location visible on each cart, effective ways to corral carts near their establishments, and to have a plan for retrieval of carts. Shopping carts not retrieved after 72 hours of notification by the city can result in fines between $125 to $500 per cart.