WALMART shoppers could soon see a new charge linked to abandoned shopping carts under a crackdown designed to clean up streets and help those in need.

The move means retailers will have to cough up cash to reclaim carts found dumped away from their stores – with the money earmarked for community support.

Walmart shoppers may face new fees for abandoned carts in North Charleston, SC

Retailers must pay $50 to reclaim carts, aiming to clean up streets and sidewalks

The new ordinance has been introduced in North Charleston, South Carolina, where city leaders say shopping carts left on roadsides and sidewalks have become a growing problem.

Under the rules, community service officers can collect abandoned carts and take them to the city’s public works facility before notifying the business that owns them.

Retailers, including Walmart, can collect their carts by paying a $50 fee for each cart.

Officials insist the measure is not designed to punish businesses but to encourage them to stop carts from leaving their properties in the first place.

North Charleston Communications Manager Tony Tassarotti said: “We’ve noticed that some of the carts have been taken away from the establishment that they’re a part of.

“Then we’ll see those carts kind of on the side of the road, which creates kind of an eyesore.”

City leaders say abandoned carts can block sidewalks, create safety hazards and make neighborhoods look untidy.

Local resident Cindy said: “I see a lot of homeless people that have all their belongings pushing these carts a lot.”

Rather than flowing into the city’s general budget, officials say the money raised will go directly towards helping vulnerable people.

“That money will go into kind of a fund to help when we have warming shelters open, or if there’s a homeless person in need of something,” Tassarotti said.

Officials hope the policy will not only remove abandoned carts from the streets but also turn the nuisance into funding for community programs.

It comes just weeks after lawmakers in Arizona moved to block a similar shopping cart crackdown.

The original measure had been hitting major retailers, including Walmart and Target, with charges of $25 to $50 every time an abandoned cart was returned.

The proposed legislation, known as HB 2460, would stop cities from charging businesses to recover shopping carts, with supporters arguing retailers are already victims when carts are stolen.

Republican State Representative Nick Kupper said the bill would protect stores that are “already a victim of a crime,” while still allowing cities to impound or destroy abandoned carts.

The legislation followed complaints from Phoenix officials, who said they collected around 8,000 abandoned shopping carts in 2024 at a cost of roughly $58,000.

Phoenix Councilmember Betty Guaradado previously said: “These carts, often left behind without retailers having any meaningful retrieval plan, are not just annoyances.

“They obstruct sidewalks, clutter public spaces and contribute to the deterioration of our community’s appearance and quality of life.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16682246/walmart-cart-fee-community-programs-south-carolina/