Details of the new service, which will be compulsory under a new bylaw, were aired at a heated meeting last week between councillors and traders.

The bylaw, adopted in November, means all traders must use the new garbage collection service, which in some cases will cost them more than hiring individual contractors.

Berwick Chamber of Commerce president Harry Hutchinson, who owns Harry's Menswear, said traders needed to present a "united front".

"We all want a cleaner Berwick," he said. "Our objection is with the proposed prices (of the new service)."

High Street trader Ross Vicars of Pots 'n' Pans "walked out in disgust" from the meeting, saying many traders' questions were unanswered.

"It was a kangaroo court - the bylaw had already been passed - we had no say in that."

Edrington Ward councillor Mick Moreland, who was at the meeting, said the problem of rubbish in Berwick "has been going on for at least 10 years," and "making it a bylaw after several public meetings, which drummed up little interest, was the only way to get it done".

"It's a community health and safety issue. If we didn't make this a bylaw we would be fining certain traders for breaching the health act."

Cafe Mira's owners, Mike and Lisa Wellington, who are in the Village Arcade, said the proposed rate would have to be drastically reduced for their business to stay viable.

"It's a daily struggle as it is. But to go from paying $42 a month to our private contractor to $2900 a year for our proposed category could shut us down.

"This is not even a user-pays system as the council said it would be."

Annette Aldersea from Berwick Curtain Nook said the proposed rates were completely unreasonable.

"All the traders in this arcade collectively have been paying $5800 per year for waste removal. If this proposal goes ahead, it would be $15,000. That's a ridiculous amount more."

Cr Moreland said the council was "willing to speak with traders on an individual basis if they object to their category and consider a user-pays system".

He also said council was confident the rate would be reduced once tenders came in. "We can only quote what we have been given so far," Cr Moreland said.