Welcome back to Up to Code — Episode 3! After tackling trash containers and short-term vacation rentals in earlier episodes, we’re turning our attention to something you’ve probably spotted around town: a lone shopping cart tipped over in a wash, parked against a bus bench, or abandoned in an empty lot blocks from the nearest store. Call him “Paul McCARTney” if you like 🛒 — but a runaway cart is one act our neighborhoods can do without. It may seem like a small thing, but abandoned carts add up — cluttering sidewalks, blocking storm drains, creating hazards for pedestrians and drivers, and taking away from the beauty of our neighborhoods.
The good news is that keeping Cathedral City cart-free is simple, and it doesn’t require you to wrangle a single one yourself.
Who’s responsible for stray carts?
Shopping carts belong to the stores they come from, and retailers are responsible for retrieving them. To make that easier, most major grocery and retail stores partner with the California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corporation, a service dedicated to collecting stray carts and returning them to their stores.
When you spot an abandoned cart, you don’t have to track down the store yourself — you can report it directly to the retrieval service, and they’ll handle the pickup.
How to report an abandoned cart
There are a few easy ways to report a stray cart:
- 📞 Call: 888-992-4778
- 💻 Report online: retailsolutionshq.com/report-carts
You can also report an abandoned cart — along with any other code compliance concern — through the City’s free MyCathedralCity mobile app, available for download at cathedralcity.gov.
The whole process takes about a minute.
A few details make all the difference
When you report a cart, two pieces of information help the retrieval team the most:
- The exact location. Include the nearest major cross streets so the crew can find it quickly. A precise location makes for a faster pickup.
- The store name. Most carts have the store’s name printed on them. Noting it helps the cart get returned to the right place.
Leave a detailed message with those details, and the retrieval crew takes care of the rest. Most reported carts are collected within two to four days.
Why it matters
Cathedral City is a beautiful place to live, learn, work, and play — and small acts of community care go a long way toward keeping it that way. Reporting an abandoned cart takes less than a minute, clears a hazard from our streets, and helps our neighborhoods look their best for everyone who lives here and visits.
So the next time you notice a cart far from home, take a moment to report it. It’s a quick, easy way to make a real difference in your community.
The Up to Code series is created by Parker Gaunt, Code Compliance Officer I. Featuring “Paul McCARTney” as the Runaway Cart. 🛒🎸
