The City of Brampton has introduced a new fee aimed at reducing the number of abandoned shopping carts left throughout parks, trails and neighbourhood streets. Under the policy approved during discussions for the city’s 2026 budget in February, retailers will now be charged $100 for each shopping cart that city staff recover from public spaces.
City officials say the new charge is intended to help recover the costs associated with collecting and storing carts that belong to private businesses. According to Brampton Councillor Rowena Santos, the responsibility for retrieving these carts should not fall on taxpayers. Speaking to CTV News Toronto, Santos explained that municipal staff must spend time and resources tracking down and collecting the carts, which ultimately means public funds are being used to manage private property.
Santos noted that residents have repeatedly raised concerns about abandoned carts appearing in neighbourhoods and along local trails. She said many complaints come from areas near Etobicoke Creek Trail as well as commercial plazas around Mississauga Road and Williams Parkway, and the intersection of Main Street and Bovaird Drive. According to the city’s estimates, Brampton receives reports involving roughly 400 to 500 abandoned shopping carts each year, although some reports may involve repeated complaints about the same carts.
The city says the $100 fee will apply only when municipal staff locate a cart in public areas such as parks, transit stops, trails or waterways and can clearly identify the retailer that owns it. Officials argue that abandoned carts can create safety concerns for residents and may also pose risks to wildlife when they are left in natural areas or waterways.
The issue was first formally raised at council in September 2025 when Santos introduced a motion after hearing complaints from constituents. The councillor said many retailers already have systems designed to prevent carts from leaving store property, including coin locking mechanisms or geo fencing technology that disables the wheels when a cart moves beyond a certain boundary. However, she said these systems are not always used consistently.
Some retailers have said they rely on private contractors who regularly retrieve stray carts, but Santos told CTV News Toronto that relying on outside contractors does not always resolve the issue quickly enough. She questioned how companies track the carts in the first place, noting that many complaints still come through the city’s 311 reporting system.
CTV News Toronto contacted Walmart Canada for comment regarding the issue but did not receive an immediate response.
Brampton council is expected to revisit the issue later this year. Officials plan to discuss the possibility of introducing additional rules that would require retailers to install cart locking technology to prevent shopping carts from leaving store property in the first place.
