THE Roads and Maritime Services Department (RMS) and the Kempsey Shire Council will work together to clean-up the abandoned shopping trolleys dumped in the Macleay River.
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The trolleys are in a pile at the Kemp St end of the Kempsey Railway and footbridge, about 5m from the riverbank, after being thrown from the bridge.
The Macleay Argus published a letter on July 19 written by nine-year-old Kempsey visitor Amelie Nichols, along with a photograph she had taken of the mess.
Amelie pleaded for someone to clean-up the trolleys as she said they gave people a very negative impression of Kempsey.
Her letter prompted local man Tim Jeffrey to offer to organise a clean-up effort.
The pile of shopping trolleys has been an eyesore for years, with the Macleay Argus first publishing a picture of the trolleys in June 2012.
A spokesperson for the RMS said on Wednesday that a plan was being discussed to remove the trolleys.
“The RMS is working with council and the supermarket contractors to clear the river and develop a long-term strategy for abandoned trolleys,” she said.
The spokesperson could give no timeframe for the operation but indicated it was likely to be in the near future.
Kempsey Shire Council director of Infrastructure Services Robert Scott said the council was keen to work with the supermarkets to develop strategies to curb the problem of abandoned shopping trolleys.
“Illegal rubbish dumping is a serious problem for councils all over the state," Mr Scott said.
“This rubbish happens to be in the river but it is the same issue.
“Specifically on the trolleys, the council is very keen to work with the local supermarkets to devise some strategies to curb the problem of abandoned trolleys.
“There a wide range of options that we can consider to stop the problem in the future.”