• The term “加龙古尼” is the transliteration of the Malay term karung guni.
• Karung guni (or rag-and-bone men) were seen as early as the mid-20th century. The term karung guni refers to a gunny sack in Malay. In the past, karung guni could often be found moving around housing estates with a gunny sack over their shoulders, collecting old and unwanted items from residents. Nowadays, they use trolleys instead.
• These rag-and-bone men generally use horns or shout “Karung guni!” to attract residents’ attention. They collect items such as old newspapers, clothes and home appliances, which are then sold to recycling facilities or at flea markets.

The rag-and-bone men (karung guni) were panting heavily as bag after bag of recyclable items were slowly pushed to the recycling bin. They were all getting on in years, and not all of them collect recyclable items entirely for money. Some do it to pass the time, while others do it to promote environmental awareness with volunteers. (Lianhe Zaobao, 19/1/2018)

• According to a survey conducted by Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in 2013, although the karung guni trade is on a gradual decline, about 43.2% of people still choose to sell their old newspapers and unwanted items to rag-and-bone men (karung guni), while only 29.8% prefer to place them in recycling bins.