Safe Lightweight Handcarts for Elderly Collectors

Why it matters: Lovely Paper calls elderly collectors “resource-regeneration activists”, recognising their role in keeping paper and cardboard in circulation. South Korea’s fast-ageing population and widening income gap have pushed more older people into poverty, often with little support.

The handcart in detail:

Carries up to 100 kg
Measures under 1 m wide, so it fits on pavements
Includes an auxiliary-wheel brake, a hand brake and a reflector

Measured social value: Lovely Paper used guidance from the Korea Social Value Evaluation Institute to estimate a safety value of KRW 7,233,282 for five carts. The calculation multiplies the risk-exposure reduction rate (0.826), the number of beneficiaries (5), the accident rate (0.063) and the social cost per accident (KRW 27,800,000). ⚠️ [please verify: the September proposal names the “Korea Social Value Research Institute” and the October version names the “Evaluation Institute”]

Track record: By the end of 2025, Lovely Paper had supported 2,827 older people across 71 regions, working with 2,759 volunteers and 32 corporate partners. In 2025, Hana Financial Group, Shinhan Financial Group, Kia, the Asan Nanum Foundation and others partnered with Lovely Paper on handcart safety support.

Find out more on the Lovely Paper website: https://loverepaper.org/