Why the Fayetteville City Council is talking about regulating abandoned shopping carts — again

For the second time since summer 2019, the Fayetteville City Council is considering whether to impose regulations on shopping carts in an effort to reduce the number of abandoned carts that litter local streets and highways. Since May 2020, the city has spent $78,000 to have employees collect discarded shopping carts, a city official said. The City Council discussed options to address the cart issue Jan. 3, and directed the city staff to develop an ordinance to address stray carts. Here's a look at the situation.