Seoul mayor meets elderly waste-paper collectors, calls for systems to cut their hours in extreme heat

"Even when the Seoul Metropolitan Government tries to help them transition to other work, about two-thirds say they are not interested in anything else. Supporting them this way is absolutely necessary."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited alleys in Hyochang-dong, Yongsan-gu, on Tuesday morning to meet elderly waste-paper collectors and hand out heat-relief kits. Meeting one collector, identified only as Mr. A, Oh told him to "take it easy since it's so hot." He added that even when the city offers to find other options, "the elderly say this is what they know best — they can't imagine doing anything else." Mr. A said that "everyone works hard," adding, "I have to keep moving like this to stay alive."

Oh took part Tuesday in a concentrated care campaign for elderly waste-paper collectors, titled "Yeorumae Nanum — Mudeoweoreul Mudeoweoro" (Sharing in Summer — Fighting the Heat with the Heat), which the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Volunteer Center are running through the end of August. Under the program, 767 volunteer camp activists across Seoul visit 1,000 elderly collectors in person to deliver heat-prevention supplies and check on their wellbeing and health. One collector, identified as Mr. B, whose cart was piled high with cardboard boxes, told Oh: "Selling all of this gets me 2,000 won. Everything else has gone up in price, but the price of waste paper stays the same."

Oh walked the alleys and personally handed out wide-brimmed hats and heat-relief kits to elderly residents pulling handcarts and collecting waste paper in the extreme heat. As he moved through the neighborhood, he asked about their daily working hours, how far they travel and whether they have places to rest, while also checking on their health and whether they were using heat-prevention supplies. The kits delivered Tuesday included items usable on the spot: a bag, a hat, bottled water, a cushion, a hand fan, cooling wipes, cooling lotion, cooling arm sleeves and a neck cooler.

A Seoul Metropolitan Government survey found that approximately 2,400 elderly residents currently collect waste paper in the city. Of those, 52 percent are in their 80s or older and 39 percent are in their 70s, meaning 91 percent of all collectors are aged 70 or above. The most common reason given for collecting waste paper was "to cover living expenses," cited by 67 percent of respondents. Some 59 percent said they had no intention of taking up other work. Among those who said they would not switch, 55 percent cited the freedom of working alone at their own pace, while 25 percent said it was simply what they were used to. Even among those who participate in public employment programs, 65.5 percent said they would continue collecting waste paper.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government operates a waste-paper collectors' employment project to help elderly residents who wish to continue the work secure more stable income and safer working conditions. Under the public employment program, participating collectors bring their gathered waste paper to designated buyers, and the city supplements the sale proceeds with a subsidy, effectively doubling what they would otherwise earn. Of the approximately 2,400 elderly waste-paper collectors in Seoul, 1,382 — or 57.5 percent — currently participate in the project. Rather than requiring collectors to stop the activity outright, the city plans to expand participation so that elderly residents can continue a familiar routine more safely while maintaining a steady income.

Oh said the heat wave was "extremely serious," adding that his biggest concerns were delivery riders who have no choice but to ride on scorching asphalt, construction workers laboring on job sites in the extreme heat, and the elderly collecting waste paper. "Because they have no choice but to work for their livelihood while exposed to the heat, it is necessary to provide them with at least the minimum of what they need, in a timely manner," he said. He went on to say that "it is also very necessary to operate various systems so that people reduce their working hours and look after their health during the most intense heat of the day."