The City of Brampton has decided not to require retailers to install geo-locking technology on shopping carts, but council will continue enforcing a $100 fine for every abandoned cart collected by city staff from public property.
The decision follows a staff report presented to council on April 15, which recommended against imposing a citywide mandate for cart-locking systems. Council accepted the recommendation without debate and chose to keep the fine already approved through the 2026 budget.
The $100 charge is applied to store owners whenever municipal staff recover and return shopping carts left in parks, transit areas, playgrounds, green spaces or other public locations. City officials say the fee is intended to recover labour and resource costs linked to collecting carts that do not belong to the municipality.
Geo-locking systems use radio signals and wheel-lock mechanisms to stop carts from being taken beyond a designated perimeter. While the technology is used successfully at some stores, staff said a blanket requirement would be difficult to implement across Brampton’s many retail formats.
According to the report, many businesses operate as tenants in plazas or malls and do not control the surrounding parking lots or land where containment systems would need to be installed. Ownership arrangements, site layouts and differing levels of cart misuse all make a one-size-fits-all policy impractical.
Staff noted that although a mandatory geo-lock bylaw is not recommended now, council could revisit the issue later using a more flexible approach focused on results rather than specific technology.
Possible alternatives mentioned include coin-deposit systems, routine cart collection by staff, or contracts with third-party retrieval companies. Such options would allow stores to choose measures that best fit their location and operations.
City data shows Brampton typically collects and returns between 400 and 500 abandoned shopping carts each year.
The issue was first raised in 2025 by Regional Councillor Rowena Santos, who said residents regularly contact 311 and bylaw services when carts are left at transit stops, stormwater ponds and neighbourhood public spaces.
For now, Brampton will monitor whether the $100 penalty encourages retailers to better manage their carts and reduces the burden on city crews.