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Page 1 of 2 The neighbourhood Karung Guni (Rag-and-Bone) Man strode into the porch conversing very loudly in a mishmash of different dialects on his mobile phone. No surprises there until I paid a closer look at the model of his mobile phone. The hip quotient of most of our mobile phones would pale in comparison to his. It was starkly incongruous with his thin white singlet and glistening bald head.
Read on as hooked chats up with the friendly neighbourhood Karung Guni Man, who is ever-nearby, yet ever elusive to us all.
A Brief Introduction to the Karung Guni Man
The colloquial moniker of "Karung Guni" is a misnomer. The name 'Karung Guni' arises from the Malay word for 'gunny sack', which was used in the past to haul old newspapers around.
Known for the loud honks with their horns and equally loud bellows of "Karung Guni, ladio, TV, zhap ji ki..." (colloquially means "Rag-and-Bone, radio, television, newspaper") that effectively announce their arrivals, the Karung Guni men are not only a welcome sight (to help with the recycling process) but also an image of nostalgia for many locals.
The Karung Guni men (and women) generally fall into two broad categories.
The first is the one that most of us are most familiar with - those that drive by honking their air-horns in their pick-up trucks. The other group is the 'dying breed' of sorts - they are the ones who push their hand-carts around and collect cans, cardboard boxes and other old but usable items to exchange for money at the recyclers.
Generally, people will signal to the Karung Guni by waving to them once they hear the sounds of their horn. For people who stay in HDB flats, the Karung Guni will either patrol each floor, or the residents will bring their stuff downstairs to the void deck.
There is no standardized price for the sale of items to the Karung Guni as prices vary from one to the other. Due to stiff competition between each other and falling prices for items such as newspapers, some of them might not even pay you.
HOOKED provides you with a rough gauge as to how much that stack of newspapers, or old Hi-Fi set can fetch you. (Note: For clothes and electronics, they have to be in usable condition.)
- 1kg of newspapers - S$0.02 - S$0.10
- 1kg of clothes - S$0.20
- 1kg of magazines - S$0.05 - S$0.10
- Electronic items - a non-LCD or Plasma TV set (S$30-80); a computer monitor (S$20)
In general, traditional Karung Guni men sell the used items to recycling companies, middlemen who trade these items to third world countries or dealers who specialize in waste paper, rags, and second-hand goods.
HOOKED's Interview with Your Friendly Neighbourhood Karung Guni Man
Now, let's go back to our Karung Guni buddy who is a study in contrast with his hip mobile phone and stereotypical appearance. Chattering wildly on, he set down the portable vertical weighing scale on the floor and pointed to the large stack of newspapers piled up on the floor.
He paused for a brief second and then asked, "Girl ah, all this you don't want right?" I only managed to nod before he clicked off his mobile-phone and started tying the stacks together with raffia string.
"Uncle, do you mind if I ask you a few questions and maybe take a picture for you? It's for school," I told him, brandishing my camera.
He quickly shook his head and laughed, "Aiyah, I so old! Don't want picture lah...so paiseh (read: embarrassing). You want to ask question can ask lah, no problem one."
He is Mr Seah Ah Suey and this reporter will try to keep Mr Seah's replies verbatim as much as she could.
HOOKED: Uncle, how long have you been a Karung Guni man? And how long have you been 'in-charge' of this estate?
Uncle Seah: I've been a Karung Guni man for nearly all my life. After I dropped out of secondary school, I had some odd jobs, and then got introduced to being a Karung Guni.
For here ah? Not very long...only about five years plus. You never see me here before that right?
HOOKED: That's true. Can you tell us what happened to the old Karung Guni man? He doesn't come by very often, even if he does.
Uncle Seah: Yah. I'm actually more of a newspaper man. I collect newspapers in general but if you have other things you don't want, I will take them too.
The other guy who used to come here takes nearly everything and anything. I don't really know why he doesn't come so often now. Maybe it's because I'm here now. Haha!
HOOKED: Are there any things you don't take?
Uncle Seah: I know some Karung Guni take electronics and all these new things lah, but I don't. I generally take newspapers and sometimes clothes - depending on what kind. I don't take magazines also.
Once, some auntie tried to get me to take a sofa away from her! I'm not a rubbish disposal worker!
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