I am writing to express my concern about the increasing problem of shopping carts being taken from stores. This is not only a nuisance but also a costly problem for businesses.

According to The Food Marketing Institute, a food industry association out of Arlington, Va., estimates that shopping cart theft is an $800 million yearly worldwide problem. In America, approximately 2 million carts go missing every year, according to the institute.

For a couple of years, I have been volunteering in my community in Kaneohe to take shopping carts back to their stores. If I see one on the sidewalk or remote from where their store location is, most of the time, I’ll pick it up and take it back. It is an eyesore that we have to see day after day. Not only is this costing businesses money, but it can also be a public safety and health hazard, as well an environmental matter.

As a public safety/health hazard, abandoned shopping carts can block pedestrian and vehicular traffic on sidewalks, streets, and driveways.

Then for the environmental side, when carts get thrown into the stream, the longer it’s in the stream, the metal will rust and break apart and flow out right into our ocean. Last year, there was a video of dozens of shopping carts up in this valley across from Heeia Pier.

There are several reasons why people take shopping carts. Some people simply don’t want to return them to the store, while others may take them for transportation or to use as storage containers. Whatever the reason, it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Last month, I was dropping off a shopping cart at a store. As I was approaching the entrance of the store, there was a kupuna ahead of me, and I gave him the shopping cart I was bringing back because there were none outside.

There are several things that stores can do to prevent shopping carts from being taken.

One is to install wheel locks or other devices that make it difficult to remove carts from the store’s property. There is a company called, “Gatekeeper Systems” that specializes in reducing theft, saving costs on shopping carts; businesses that do not have locks on their carts can research that company.

Second, get a chain, especially for stores not open 24 hours a day. For those stores that are, keep a couple dozen carts on the side chained up overnight to reduce the risk of carts getting taken. Then in the morning, unlock those carts for the day when it is the busiest.

Another option is to have employees regularly collect carts from the parking lot and return them to the store. One obstacle that could be problematic for some stores is that they are short-staffed. But, stores can also educate customers about the problem of shopping cart theft and encourage them to return carts to the store after use.

I urge stores with shopping carts to work with their property management and security, as well as local officials, to take action to address this problem.

By working together, we can all help reduce shopping cart theft, save the businesses money and, most importantly, keep our community clean and safe.

Joshua Baldovi, of Kaneohe, is a retail specialist.