Tauranga ratepayers have one big question about the city council's move towards taking over the city's kerbside waste collection from private companies - what will it cost?
In a move that pleased environmentalists and angered local rubbish collection businesses, the council's environment committee voted to progress a proposal to make waste collection a council service funded by rates, after two decades under the private sector.
Councillors reviewed modelling that found a civic-led service would bring about better environmental outcomes - 14 per cent more waste diverted from landfill.
Although rates would go up, most ratepayers would pay at least $60 less a year in rubbish costs than they were currently paying, according to the modelling and current administration cost estimates.
A three-bin system (rubbish, recycling, organic waste) was recommended, eventually moving to a four-bin system (separated food and garden waste).
Ron Melville, deputy chairman of the long-running Papamoa Progressive Association, supported the proposal.
He believed the council had done quite a bit of research and would not be proceeding if they were not confident change would have a positive impact.
"If the council have done their sums right then residents should see a reduction in rubbish expenses."
David Burnett, a former chairman of the Mount Maunganui Progressive Association, said his personal view was that the current system worked fine.
"If it ain't broke don't change it."
The council had enough on its plate to be changing a system that worked, he said.
Cost was not everything - convenience and keeping the streets looking tidy was also important, he said.
Still, he was interested to hear more detail about the proposed change.
Greg Milne of the Matapihi Residents and Ratepayers Association was cautiously supportive - as long as it did not cost more, or land people with unnecessary bins.
A lot of people in Matapihi handled their own recycling by sorting at the nearby transfer station for free, and, being rural, had the land to have their own compost for organic waste.
They should be able to keep that up without having to fork out for council-run recycling and organic waste collections.
He said he would switch to a council-run recycling collection for the convenience - if it was free.
"But I'd be reluctant to pay for it."
The proposal needed to be approved by the full council before questions about exactly how it would work and the impact on rates could be figured out.
Jeremy Boase authored a waste management report for the council and mentioned some options for how the service might be funded in a briefing to councillors.
There could be a general rate, or a model similar to water rating calculations. For the latter, the council would have to fit collection trucks with weighing technology so people could be charged by the amount of waste they put out.
He said Tauranga and Western Bay were the only New Zealand councils with a "purely private" rubbish collection system.
Any issues a change might pose in Tauranga had already been solved somewhere else.
Street view: your thoughts on changing the waste collection system
"It's a good idea, depending on what it is going to cost."
Carole Morrison, Bayfair
"No thanks - our contractor is really awesome."
Annette Kidd, Papamoa
"[Council-run] is the same as England. As long as someone does it."
Matilda Lawrence, Welcome Bay
"I'm all for it. I think we need it."
Jeff Beattie, Mount Maunganui
"Three rubbish bins out each week is too many bins for me. How is it going to work for the village? We've got 31 residents."
Vernon Percival, Mount Maunganui