Seoul City-Seoul Social Welfare Council Support Safety and Cooling Supplies for Elderly Scrap Collectors

Support of Reflective Vests and Cool Towels for 1,600 Elderly Waste Collectors

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 10th that it will support elderly cardboard collectors with safety and cooling supplies such as reflective vests and cool towels in collaboration with the Seoul Social Welfare Council.

The Seoul Social Welfare Council will provide one reflective vest and one cool towel each to 1,600 elderly cardboard collectors in the district starting from the 12th. The total value of the support amounts to approximately 17 million KRW. The donated items will be delivered to the recipients through the local district community service centers.

Recently, there was a citizen proposal requesting support to prevent traffic accidents involving elderly cardboard collectors who mainly work at night or early morning and to help them endure the summer heat. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government valued each proposal, actively reviewed them, and reflected the citizen proposals after collecting opinions from the field including local districts.

According to this year’s "Support Plan for Elderly Cardboard Collectors," Seoul provides customized services in areas such as ‘livelihood and housing,’ ‘jobs,’ ‘care,’ and ‘safety’ to stabilize the lives of elderly cardboard collectors in the city. To provide tailored support by sector, a survey is conducted every two years, and individual counseling is carried out for the elderly identified through the survey. When support is needed, the following are provided: ▲ housing support such as emergency welfare and rent assistance ▲ connection to suitable public jobs for the elderly ▲ safety support including safety checks and welfare visits, daily life support such as life education, hospital and outing accompaniment, meal management, and health management linked with visiting nurses ▲ and supplies to prevent traffic accidents and to prepare for heatwaves and cold spells.

Meanwhile, to promote the support project, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold a donation handover ceremony with the Seoul Social Welfare Council. The ceremony will take place on the 12th at the Seoul City Hall New Building, attended by Ha Young-tae, Director of Welfare Policy at Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Jeon Myung-soo, Secretary General of the Seoul Social Welfare Council. Jeon Myung-soo said, “We hope that elderly cardboard collectors, who suffer from both economic difficulties and heatwaves, will have a safe and cool summer,” and added, “The Seoul Social Welfare Council will continue to lead a warm culture of sharing to accompany the vulnerable.”

Ha Young-tae, Director of Welfare Policy at Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “We will pay more attention to elderly cardboard collectors exposed to risks amid high inflation and heatwaves,” and added, “Seoul will continue to practice accompanying the vulnerable so that no citizens are left behind in hardship beyond just elderly cardboard collectors.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.