133 Shopping Carts Collected in Two-day Initiative

Las Cruces police collected 133 shopping carts during the two-day collection period before enforcement of the new Shopping Cart Ordinance is initiated.

On Oct. 10, the first day of the Shopping Cart Collection Initiative, 60 carts were relinquished at two separate locations within Las Cruces. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, another 73 carts were collected within city limits.

Police will determine what businesses own the shopping carts and contact them so the carts can be retrieved.

The Shopping Cart Collection Initiative was an opportunity for anyone who has possession of a shopping cart that belongs to a retail establishment to relinquish it without consequences.

Beginning Oct. 16, it is unlawful to remove from the premises, possess, abandon or alter a shopping cart that belongs to a retail establishment. Violation of the ordinance is a petty misdemeanor under the Las Cruces Municipal Code.

The new Shopping Cart Ordinance was adopted by City Council in August 2024. LCPD chose to delay enforcement of the ordinance until Oct. 16 to allow for education of the new regulation and the return of carts that may be in the possession of individuals within the community.