1,189 Elderly Scrap Collectors in Daegu... Measures for Income, Health, and Safety Prepared

Daegu City announced on the 16th that from February to May of this year, it conducted a comprehensive survey of 1,189 local scrap dealers and elderly waste paper collectors through direct visits, and based on the results, established support measures to improve the quality of life for elderly waste paper collectors.

There are 1,189 elderly people collecting waste paper in Daegu City, trading with 284 scrap dealers. Of these, 708 (60%) are women, 379 (32%) are recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security Program, and 1,077 (91%) are recipients of the Basic Pension. Among them, 261 (22%) are currently participating in senior employment programs, while 219 (18%) expressed a desire to newly participate in such programs.

Daegu City Hall

First, considering the health conditions and circumstances of elderly waste paper collectors, the city will connect them to low-intensity public senior jobs. For about 200 seniors who wish to continue collecting waste paper for personal reasons, six district Senior Clubs will form a "Waste Paper Collection Job Project Group."

The "Waste Paper Collection Job Project Group" is a public job program that provides wages by combining the sales profits from waste paper collected by seniors with additional support funds. When seniors bring the collected waste paper to designated joint sales outlets (such as scrap dealers) partnered with district Senior Clubs, they will receive a salary about twice the average income (around 300,000 KRW per month).

In addition, elderly people facing difficulties with living expenses or housing will be linked to emergency welfare services or the Dalgubeol Welfare Task Force to prevent crisis situations or potential crises in advance. Those in need of care will receive customized care services, including regular check-ins and daily living support.

Seniors suffering from depression or chronic diseases will be connected to the home health management program, where visiting nurses will provide regular health management and counseling (once every two months) and check their health status. In particular, supplies for extreme heat and cold, as well as safety items to prevent accidents and traffic incidents that can easily occur during waste paper collection, will be provided, along with safety education.

Jung Eegwan, Director of Health and Welfare at Daegu City, said, "Daegu City will actively connect necessary health and welfare services so that elderly waste paper collectors are not isolated from society. We will do our best to fulfill our role as a social safety net by expanding senior jobs for stable income support and providing daily life assistance."

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