When one thinks of litter, the picture of used food wrappers and discarded bottles come to mind. But in recent months, the Crossroads area has been littered with a different kind of material – discarded shopping carts.
Bellevue police are now enforcing the taking of shopping carts from stores as a class three offense, which carries a $50 fine.
The issue first became apparent to police at a community forum several months ago, said Officer Dave Porter, of the Crossroads Community Station. Residents termed it a quality of life issue, and an eyesore. Some claimed to see as many as 50 to 75 carts around the Northeast Eighth Street area, between 156th and 164th avenues.
Porter has walked the area, talking to nearby residents and frequent passersby to alert them of the new law. The intent is not to bust people taking away carts, but to inform them that it’s not legally acceptable.
“They’ve developed this concept that they can take their cart from wherever, and just abandon the cart,” Porter said.
He often finds carts near apartment complexes, in adjacent parking lots or at bus stops. On one occasion, he counted 51 carts on Northeast Eighth between 156th and 164th.
Porter said the primary culprits are elderly residents and pedestrians passing through the area. Nearby residents use walkers or canes to assist them in their store runs, but once groceries are purchased, they can’t both carry the food and handle the walker. As a result, the cart theft becomes a necessary part of the journey. Porter said he doesn’t want to punish people for having, or choosing to walk, or the difficulty of managing a cane or walker and carrying groceries.
As a result of this problem, a movement has begun to provide carts for those who wouldn’t be able to carry their groceries home. Darrion Spratley, program coordinator for the North Bellevue Community Center, said he is working on a financial solution that would provide free carts with the help of sponsors, grants and partnering with organizations the center has worked with in the past.
“We’re just trying to see if we can ignite each other and come up with a solution for the problem,” he said.
Porter said the cart problem has another component. Stores that allow shoppers to take carts off the property could be held responsible in terms of a code violation. Porter has toured Crossroads businesses to educate owners and put up literature on the problem. He wanted to make them aware of them problem, not punish them.
“If you’re in a grocery store and someone takes off with a cart, they’re not going to know about it.”
