Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan said on Saturday it would take Hong Kong residents three to five years to adjust their habits following the introduction of a pay-as-you-throw waste charging scheme.

From April 1 next year, people will have to buy special bags for their rubbish in a bid to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and encourage recycling.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Tse said that for the first six months, offenders would receive a warning instead of a HK$1,500 fine.

"I think it will take time for residents, property management companies and front-line cleaners to adjust to the waste charging scheme. We're talking about everyone in Hong Kong... every family will have to change their habits," he said.

Tse added that similar initiatives overseas showed that change won't happen overnight.