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1 RiversideCA.gov
1 RiversideCA.gov
Shopping Cart Retrieval Program
Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee
January 15, 2025
Public Works Department
RiversideCA.gov
2 BACKGROUND
• 30-day data gathering study to better understand issue and identify gaps • 1 Street Maintenance Worker was assigned to:
– Collect empty shopping carts and deliver them to the Corp Yard – Communicate with PSET regarding unattended carts that may contain personal belongings and carts being actively used by homeless individuals.
• PSET to gather data when engaging with individuals who possess these carts, and when individuals choose to accept social services and leave their cart behind. Public Works to collect these carts. 1 2
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3 CATEGORIES OF CARTS
1. Empty, abandoned shopping carts
2. Shopping carts containing trash
3. Unattended shopping carts containing
personal belongings
4. Shopping carts actively used by
individuals experiencing homelessness
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4 SUMMARY OF CARTS COLLECTED
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5 EMPTY, ABANDONED CARTS
CarTrac: collected 719 empty carts from 11/1-12/4
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6 EMPTY, ABANDONED CARTS
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7 CARTS WITH TRASH
Approx. 10 cubic yards of trash collected
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8 UNATTENDED/TRANSIENT CARTS*
*Includes unattended carts w/ personal belongings & individual with cart in their possession 7 8
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9 OUTREACH EFFORTS
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10 RESPONSE TIMES
• Updated Service Request Process
• Use of Public works RISR App
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11 CONTRACTOR VS. PUBLIC WORKS RETRIEVALS
RiversideCA.gov
12 LESSONS LEARNED
• Difficult to locate carts from descriptions in SRs
• Carts are often on the move
• Service requests do not include photos
• Outreach services not accepted
• PSET vacancies and workload challenges
• Public Works lacks in-house resources for long
term
• Delays in 311 process
• Majority of carts did not have locking devices
• Abandoned and Carts with trash may be
under-reported
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13 OUTREACH
• Q1 2025 in Wards 1, 4, 6 “Hot Spots”
• Topics for Retailer Info Sessions
– Riverside Municipal Code and program requirements
– Challenges
– Opportunities
– Program feedback
– Building relationships
RiversideCA.gov
14 Strategic Priority 6 – Infrastructure, Mobility & Connectivity Goal 6.2 – Maintain, protect, and improve assets and infrastructure within the City’s built environment to ensure and enhance reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and facilitate connectivity.
Cross-Cutting Threads
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
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15 RECOMMENDATION
That the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee receive a report and provide input on the current state of the
Shopping Cart Retrieval Program.
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