They should start a reward program for them. I could have made a fortune on returning carts that were dumped in the alley when lived in North Hills.
http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_229182220.html
According to City Councilman Tony Cardenas, 5,340 abandoned shopping carts were seized in a pilot program designed to clean up the Van Nuys area.
In light of the program's triumphs, Cardenas asked city officials to find ways to implement a similar program citywide.
"If over 5,300 carts were found in my district alone, we can only imagine how many carts are out there throughout the city causing major road hazards and putting our families at risk," Cardenas said.
"This is about public safety and community pride," he said. "These carts constantly roll out into our streets and cause blight in our neighborhoods."
Abandoned shopping carts are "eyesores" that become magnets for loitering and illegal dumping, the councilman said.
Representatives of the California Grocers Association and store owners will meet Sept. 13 to discuss measures to keep carts from being stolen or lost. Each stolen or abandoned cart costs retailers about $100.
"The Department of Public Works' Bureau of Sanitation feels confident that a practical solution to the blight caused by abandoned shopping carts is not only essential but very feasible," said Enrique C. Zaldivar, executive officer of Bureau of Sanitation.