KEY POINTS:
Scavengers are fighting for the pick of inorganic rubbish collections as the credit crunch squeezes household budgets.
But some residents are tired of the mess being left by those sifting through the roadside treasures and smashing up working goods to extract steel or copper wire. There have even been reports of violent confrontations as people fight over items.
In response, Waitakere City Council is introducing a user-pays pick-up service from next year and other councils are expected to follow suit.
Should inorganic collections be user-pays or should they continue to be a free service?
