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HOOKED: Can you tell us what are the best things about being a Karung Guni man? And what about the bad points of this job?
Uncle Seah: Good things... which other job lets you look through people's things? Right? Being a Karung Guni, I get to see what people have owned before, and what they don't want anymore.
Sometimes, very new things like clothes they don't want, they will give it to me. When I tell them to give to charity, they said they are too lazy to go. (So) Dump off on me. See, you can see the bad side of people also.
Bad points ah? It's very tiring. Drive around, press the horn - I'm getting old but still have to carry all the stacks of newspaper to the truck. Not an easy job.
HOOKED: How much do you earn a month then?
Uncle Seah: ...I used to be able to earn about S$3000-4000 long time ago in the 1990s. Now I'm lucky if I can get S$1000 a month.
HOOKED: Ah, that's sad to hear. I hope business will be better for you in the future, Uncle. What do you think is your most interesting experience as a Karung Guni man? Any stories you can share with us?
Uncle Seah: Interesting ah? Wah, there are so many things that happened over the many years I've worked as a Karung Guni...how to choose?
Hmmm, maybe this one is the funniest. About three years ago, I was driving around this area, and there was this middle-aged woman - very pretty one - who was waving to me from her gate. She showed me the old stacks of newspapers and after I finished (packing), she suddenly asked me, "Uncle, do you take old clothes?"
You must remember that old clothes are worth more than newspapers, so of course I said yes. Then she went into her house and came out with a plastic bag, asking me to weigh them. I told her that I must check the condition of the clothes before I take, and if it's in bad condition, I won't be able to sell.
Then she got very angry. She started telling me that it was brand new, and she only tried once but couldn't fit, so she thought maybe (she) can sell second hand because she got no time to donate to other people.
So I said okay, but I must still check. And then wah, when I looked into the bag, I understood why she didn't want me to check! Inside were all bras! The lacy kind!
HOOKED: Hahaha, that was very entertaining, Uncle! Thank you Uncle Seah! You probably have many more houses that want you and your weighing scale right now! Thank you for your time!
Uncle Seah: No problem girl, next time I just don't pay you for your newspaper okay?
The Future for Karung Guni Man?
With falling prices for waste paper and other second-hand goods (e.g. S$1 to S$0.30 for 1kg of white paper), these Karung Guni men are a dying breed. Faced with stiff competition within their community itself, many have opted out of the hard lifestyle.
Gone are the days when they could make S$3000 a month, and gone too are the rumours of 'millionaire Karung Guni men'.
Most Karung Guni men refuse to pick up old newspapers and have resorted to taking only second-hand items, as the dismal resale prices of recycled newspapers are making it hard for them to earn a profit. It's no wonder that Karung Guni men like Mr Seah are an increasingly rare find.
Government-led initiatives, and privatized second-hand dealers ('professional' Karung Guni) are posing a grave threat to the livelihoods of our neighbourhood Karung Guni men too.
Rather than seeing them as merely a means to dispose of our unwanted items, we should instead respect them as an integral part of our Singaporean history and culture. After all, they've survived for a century or more - it would be a great loss to our social make-up to see them disappear within a few years. HOOKED
Images courtesy of NLB and Answers.com
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