Yes, sometimes they do—but usually not because the idea itself is confusing. A motion-sensor lid sounds simple: you wave your hand, the lid opens, and you drop your trash in without touching anything. In practice, people get confused when the interaction is not obvious. If the sensor is hidden, placed too high or too low, or slow to respond, a first-time user may stand there waving, give up, and leave the trash on top of the bin. Tourists, older adults, children, and people with visual impairments can be especially affected, because they may not know where to aim or whether the bin is working at all.
The confusion often comes from inconsistency. One bin opens when you hover your hand a few inches above a small black dot; another opens only when you step close to the front; another has a delay long enough that people think it failed. If the battery is dead or the sensor is dirty, the bin may look perfectly usable but refuse to open. That is frustrating, and it can make people distrust public bins in general. Motion sensors can also misfire in wind, rain, or when someone simply walks past, which makes the lid seem unpredictable.
That said, motion-sensor bins are not inherently confusing. They work well when cities treat them as a public interface, not just a piece of hardware. Clear icons, a visible sensor area, a short response delay, an audible click or light, and a manual foot pedal or push flap as backup all help. Consistent placement across a city matters too. People learn quickly when every bin behaves the same way and when broken units are fixed fast. In the end, the technology is not the problem. The problem is unclear design and poor maintenance. A good sensor bin feels almost invisible; a bad one makes people feel like they are doing something wrong.