In Hong Kong, it is not uncommon for some elderly to eke out a living by recycling cardboard scraps. Elderly waste pickers may find it difficult to lift up the commonly used trolleys to kerbs and navigate them on the road, thus often resulting in injuries. In view of this, the PolyU Jockey Club “Operation SoInno” launched by the University’s Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation initiated the project “Empathising with elderly in workplace” to help alleviate the situation. People from various disciplines came together to innovate and improve the design of the iron trolleys on the market so as to make it safer for use and more labour saving.

The making of trolley prototype 

The project commenced with a three-day workshop on "Social Innovation Design for Waste Pickers" for the public to discuss on ways to improve the existing trolleys for waste pickers. With the assistance of the community organisation Waste Pickers Platform, participants observed and conducted interviews with the elderly waste pickers to understand their practical needs and difficulties. After that, workshop participants formed a public design team to explore the feasibility of various trolley design concepts, and joined hands to develop the below trolley prototype.

 

Down-to-earth trolley design

Main design features:

-    Roller tracks to facilitate lifting up to kerbs 
-    Caster front wheels for easy navigation 
-    Rear wheels with brake function
-    Foldable extension frame to stabilise and         maintain balance of cardboard
-    Seat belts to fasten the cardboard  
-    Burglar alarm