We’ve all been tempted to abandon our shopping carts beside our parking spot — some of us even give up and leave them a few feet short of the designated area — but a Brampton resident says some people are going as far as abandoning shopping carts kilometres away from grocery stores and dumping them in trails and waterways around her neighbourhood.

Stacie Stuart has been a resident of the Duncan Foster Valley South area for the last seven years and says she has noticed an increase in abandoned carts taken from the local FreshCo and Shoppers Drug Mart along the road in streams and other areas.

“Most notably, numerous carts have been dumped in the trail system that runs through the Duncan Foster Valley South area,” Stuart said. “This waterway is home to abundant wildlife including beavers, fish, turtles and great blue herons, to name a few.”

She added that it’s a complete “lack of respect for the environment” and also brings down the esthetic of the neighbourhood.

“I have tried contact 3-1-1 and even filled out the abandoned shopping cart form on the city’s website, but nothing is being done and it seems every week more carts are popping up,” Stuart said.

In an email response to the Brampton Guardian, spokesperson for the City of Brampton Natalie Stogdill said the city responds to complaints about shopping carts being abandoned on city and private properties.

She added that the city only received one complaint in 2017 about shopping carts left near a transit shelter. The store owner was contacted, she says, and arrangements were made for pick up.

The city says staff can also enforce and lay charges if someone is found dumping carts on public or private property.

Stuart says she filled out the shopping cart form before contacting the Brampton Guardian and says they are still lying in the waterway under the Cottrelle Boulevard bridge.