Trolley Collector

A Trolley Collector retrieves shopping trolleys from car parks, streets, and surrounding areas in retail environments and returns them to designated collection points or stores. The role involves physical movement across large outdoor spaces, basic equipment operation, and maintaining trolley inventory and condition for retail or facility management operations.

Patrol car parks and surrounding areas to locate and retrieve scattered shopping trolleys. Operate a powered trolley tug or towing vehicle to transport multiple trolleys efficiently. Stack and secure trolleys safely in designated collection bays or storage areas. Inspect trolleys for damage, debris, or defects and report maintenance issues to supervisors. Clean trolleys including removal of litter, mud, and other contaminants. Respond to customer requests to locate or retrieve trolleys from specific car park locations. Monitor trolley stock levels and alert management when supplies are low or excessive. Follow safe work practices including wearing high-visibility clothing and adhering to traffic management procedures in car parks.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is repetitive, outdoors in all weather, and physically demanding on your knees, back and shoulders from bending and lifting all day. Pay is typically award-rate casual or part-time work without penalty rates, so your weekly income can be unpredictable. Automation of powered collection systems is gradually replacing manual trolley collection in larger chains.

These roles concentrate in major metro areas where large shopping centres and supermarket chains operate. Remote work does not apply. Regional areas have fewer opportunities unless near a major shopping district.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8999, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Check tickets at venue entrycore
• Clean amusement park facilitiescore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Clean toilet facilities
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Customer Needs Assessment
• Inventory Tracking
• Problem Solving

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026