Shih recalls the experience of implementation in Mailiao. Initially, the public mostly looked upon the effort as a joke. However, after half a year, the collected volumes gradually increased, as residents saw for themselves the various advantages of recycling kitchen scraps. By 2003, the results of the recycling efforts were already quite good, and at that point the operation was turned over to the Mailiao Township sanitation department.
「剛開始時我們用卡車自行收取廚餘，每天定時回收一次，偏遠地區就在定點放置桶子，」施重德回憶麥寮推動的經驗，初期民眾多半當笑話看，但半年以後，回收量逐漸增多，因為居民體會到回收廚餘的種種好處，到了九十二年回收成績已經不錯，就交還給麥寮鄉清潔隊處理。