Despite the bin strike being over, opinion remains divided across the city between those who believed voluntary action to keep the streets clean was much needed and those who thought tidying up undermined the plight of the binmen.

Here Nick Mosley, vice-chairman of the Tourism Alliance and Councillor Ben Duncan, Green party member, debate the issue.

Nick Mosley: I should start by saying that nobody I've spoken to lacks empathy for Cityclean workers who are losing the allowances from their take home pay.

I know the background is historical and very complicated, with the implications far reaching whichever path the council, the administration, the Union and the workers want to journey down.

From the perspective of the 250,000 residents and many businesses of the city – who seem very unfairly caught up in this impasse – there has been sheer horror as this week has unfolded and our lives have been overwhelmed by the fall out of the strike.

With what started as a small number of volunteers and tourism businesses co-ordinated by SEA LIFE and the Pier to minimise environmental impact to the beach and shoreline during the course of the strike, over the past few days communities of residents and businesses have become a lot more vocal and active in looking after their own patch as the health and safety implications of rotting waste, broken glass, twisted metal and festering nappies and sanitary products for people, pets and wildlife have become increasingly obvious.

This kind of do-it attitude from citizens from all walks of life, all pulling together for their city, is a real asset to Brighton & Hove and one we should be very proud of.

Ben Duncan: I couldn't agree more, really. I think it's terribly sad that it's come to this: piles of uncleared rubbish are a public health hazard as well as being unsightly and smelly - and of course that's bad for businesses as well as residents.

But the striking workers want to make exactly this kind of impact through their action, and quickly: the bigger the impact of their industrial action, the sooner we are likely to see a resolution that means they can get back to work normally, and the sooner our city is restored to its beautiful, usual, clean and attractive state.

There's a balance to be struck, and I welcome all the well-meaning efforts residents and businesses are making to clean up their surroundings, but ultimately I do think such acts will mean we have to endure this strike for longer.

Nick Mosley: I've heard of around half a dozen possible solutions to the strike, but none of them appear politically or economically easy, which I guess in no small part has contributed towards the fracturing of the Green group. We haven't heard a realistic solution based on negotiated positions from the Union, the council, or any of the political groups. This is the real issue here in prolonging the strike, rather than residents and businesses resolving to take ownership of the problems caused by the pile up of rotting waste.

As with so many issues we face at present, it all boils down to money or lack thereof. So taking into account the wider implications for other council workers, if you were to include the allowances of Cityclean workers into a restructured wage, how would you resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all council workers, and the taxpaying residents and businesses of the city?

Ben Duncan: Well, there's the rub!

I haven't been involved in the negotiations - or been presented with all the facts and figures - but I believe the best way to resolve the dispute fairly is to rule out pay cuts to anyone and ensure that all staff in other areas of the council receive a commensurate increase in the pay to make sure everyone is paid fairly and the council isn't liable for any future claims under equal pay legislation.

Of course, this would cost quite a lot of money. No-one seems sure exactly how much, but it is likely this would be about £10 million a year. With the council's total annual budget (excluding school spending, which is separate and ring fenced) of about £400 million a year, this is eminently achievable.

With the Tory government already imposing cuts of about £17 million on Brighton and Hove, we'd have some difficult choices ahead for sure, but I believe the cost of this solution is the cost of fairness, and it would persuade the striking refuse workers to come back to work quickly.

Nick Mosley: Businesses in the city have worked hard to adapt to the prevailing economic climate that we all find ourselves in. Many employees have seen wage freezes or voluntary cuts in wages, while the city's self-employed have had to drastically cut their cloth. The negative impact of the strike on the visitor economy that they've all worked so hard to keep buoyant since 2007 is a blow and could be the final straw for some retailers and hospitality businesses. Business opinion ranges from numbness to anger. In the absence of a light at the end of the tunnel, it is commendable that businesses are taking up the mantle of responsibility for the environment and economy that the council seems unable to fulfil.

Ben Duncan: Indeed, we all live in difficult economic times - and I really hope that your fears that this could be the last straw for some hospitality and tourist businesses turn out to be wrong. Many jobs in the city, and especially the Kemp Town area, depend on the sector.

That's why the priority, for me, is getting the rubbish cleared and the strike resolved quickly, while treating all council staff fairly and not cutting anyone's take-home pay. I'm sure that's achievable, but it will require the council, and its leader Jason Kitcat, to compromise in the interests of fairness and supporting local businesses and residents.

That's more likely to happen, and quickly, if the strike has maximum impact - and that's why I'll keep supporting the striking workers, and their wishes that people don't undermine their actions and take unnecessary risks by clearing up potentially hazardous waste themselves.

Hoping for a speedy, and fair, resolution to this whole messy scenario.