He said council can pick up trolleys, hold them and charge a fee to have them released. “At present a shopping trolley hotline can be contacted and a company returns it back to the supermarket at a cost.”

Council’s Planning, Environment and Lifestyle Group Manager Bernie Mortomore said the issue of abandoned shopping trolleys is not unique to Maitland.

“Many of the major retail firms use the business Trolley Trackers to help them identify where they have been abandoned and proactively retrieve them on a regular and systematic program,” Mr Mortomore said.

Council will now write to businesses across the city and wait for their responses before a report is brought back to a future council meeting.

Mr Mortomore said centre owners will also be reminded of council’s enforcement powers.

Fairfax Media reported in January how Cr Meskauskas said it was high time council stepped in, impounded the equipment and set hefty fines for their return.

More than 100 shopping trolleys littered Maitland’s central business district on Christmas morning.

Trolleys were found scattered across The Levee, in side streets and in lanes.