HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu officials are set to consider a proposal aimed at reducing the number of shopping carts that end up littered along city streets and highways.
Honolulu Councilman Trevor Ozawa is proposing that retailers be required to install electronic wheel locks on their shopping carts. He also wants the carts to display a store’s name, address and phone number. The City Council will hear the measure on Wednesday, Hawaii News Now reported (http://bit.ly/22K3TXe).
Ozawa’s bill, which also fines merchants that don’t comply with the rules up to $2,000 a day, has received criticism from opponents who say retailers should not have to face such penalties.
“They don’t believe that they should be victimized and penalized because they are the victims of property theft,” said Lauren Zirbel, executive director at Hawaii Food Industry Association of Hawaii. “We really feel it’s an unnecessary cost that will be passed on the price of food, and we don’t think that that’s acceptable,” she said.
But others say the proposal will help mitigate the city’s shopping cart problem.
“We wouldn’t have of these shopping carts all over the place,” said resident Margarita Emilyon.
Ozawa’s proposal comes after state Rep. Tom Brower came under fire three years ago for smashing the tires of abandoned shopping carts with a sledgehammer.