San Jose's strategy to tackle the scourge of abandoned shopping carts might roll out to cover the whole city by next summer, provided that the officials can find a way to fund the program. A three-month pilot program has demonstrated that a full-scale initiative has the potential not only to pay for itself but also to generate revenue through the fines imposed on grocery stores whose carts are recovered. However, this potential success comes with a caveat – the city faces high initial costs that some council members find concerning, given the upcoming budget year challenges. "We have a challenging budget year, next year. We're going to be in service preservation mode as a council," Councilmember Domingo Candelas expressed in a statement obtained by Local News Matters.
The pilot program, a partnership with the retrieval company carTrac, has successfully retrieved 734 carts over a few months, according to data shared at a recent City Council meeting. Mayor Matt Mahan highlighted the environmental impact of the discarded carts, telling Mercury News, "The thousands of carts that are lost every year," and adding, "are not just a visible quality of life issue for our residents, not just an eyesore, but they actually really damage the environment." These results have informed proposals for a city-wide program, which could cost up to $686,000 annually but is expected to bring in around $1.3 million if retrieval fines are set at the state's new maximum of $100 per cart.
San Jose's crackdown on this issue has been comprehensive, with new city rules requiring stores with 76 or more carts to take additional measures to prevent cart loss, as well as a successful push for a state bill allowing governments to return carts directly to retailers and recover costs. The new state legislation, Senate Bill 753, also ups the stakes by doubling the maximum fines for retailers from $50 to $100 per cart, while eliminating the requirement for cities to maintain an impound lot for recovered carts.
However, the strategy has not been without pushback. Local retailers and industry groups are concerned about the financial implications, fearing that additional costs incurred by grocery stores may ultimately be passed on to consumers. In a commentary shared with Local News Matters, San Jose grocer Lupe Lopez stated, "It’s a shame the city couldn’t have focused its efforts on legislation to offer support to those in need, not drive up grocery costs."
