Karung Guni Too Noisy?
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i ctns, might as well throw into the rubbish bin or chute for hdb
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Aiyoh, a few minutes noise only also wanna complain....total sound privacy is not possible in Singapore....unless u asking for a complete sound proof room? Go build one lor! Hahaha!
Can costs alot of $ leh... -
my estate no have karang guni coz condo
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Originally posted by angel7030:
in my house outside, there are many type of trade, some doing karung, some sell broom, some sell ice cream, some sell fry stuffs, there are different type of yelling and honking sounds. What i like is that they come punctually everytime, and these remind me of the time, like at 7am, the rubbish truck come, 10 oclock the karung man will honk, 12pm, the ice cream man will come ring ring ....then at 3 oclock the the fry illegal hawker will come...and then time for work liao...
All those as above is ok for me except 1 thing that I scare most of.2 pple knocking at your door asking you believe in god?
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just them tell u believe in evolution, sexual reproduction & condoms
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yeah lor
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Originally posted by Mr Milo:
just them tell u believe in evolution, sexual reproduction & condoms
I usually tell them I am not interested, dont waste your time talking to me. -
Few minutes also want to complain? Didn't our Army teach you to get uninterrupted sleep for good health? And just like what Rock Star said, it isn't so easy to go back to sleep after they come ok? They'll keep honking for a long while, and we'll be so furious the adrenaline will keep me awake for a long time.
Yes they're part of our landscape for many years. But so were roadside hawkers and baskers. Yet these 2 trades are strictly regulated by licence but the karung guni are free to honk however they like, in the guise of doing recycling work.
Yes, don't think I wouldn't want to move to Australia, or build sound proof room or move to condo. But talk is cheap, the above options aren't.
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Since this topic is being brought up, I'll share my 2 cents.
I lived in my estate for more than 20 years. Before 2005, there was no such thing as using an hand held air horn for karang gunis. They are very hardworking as they go down floor by floor asking for newspapers. And there was no lift upgrading yet until 2006 where there are lifts stopping every floor. Many of them are old and elderly but hardworking and considerate. I like their sing along karang guni pharse as it was pleasant and not noisy at all.
However from 2005 onwards, I got my first irritation from this hand held air horn blasting early in the morning in 9am. I was still a student so I was studying for my exams. That day alone, I have at least 8 to 9 karang gunis blasting the horn for just a morning alone, affecting my studies at home. From that day onwards, I knew that this is going to be a new urban nuisance if this trend continues. So everyday, at least 6 to 8 of such inconsiderate people come and blast these horns everyday. Worse, in front of my block is a big open car park. When the karang guni man blast the horn at the other end of the car park, the echos are also very noisy.
In fact every day, it seems like a continuous disturbance. Different one will come one after another. You may say that they only horn for a few minutes but it is very irritating when you stay in the same place, home, and one after another, hour after hour that these people come and blast their horns. Some even go to the extreme of walking the second round around the area to blast their horn again. There is even one that is worse, just in a weekend morning alone from 9 am to 12 noon, he can come back again and again to the same place for 4 times! Obviously they are not doing their business but just want to create a din that they are here and let everyone know they come. Most of the times, they don't even come with a trolley and always go back empty handed and yet knowing that no one wants to do their business, they still come back everyday, every week to blast that irritating horn.
Some can just stand there and horn and horn and horn. Imagine he is standing right below your window. How noisy it is. Some horn in a way that it is loud and continuous, some even use their hand to cover the opening and horn to make it louder. You can imagine all these different kinds of people coming in just a morning alone, how noisy is just a few hours in a morning. Some just walk outside your corridor to and fro and keep horning.
Some main karang guni contractors hired many runners to help them, so the number of karang gunis, with their hornings increases. I don't understand why are they doing their business this way. But hiring more people to come to the same place for business and blare the horns repeated over the different hours on the same day, isn't it a very inconsiderate act? After all, this is a residential area, not a market. We pay to live in a place where at least we can have peace with our family from our hectic workplace. Why are these people allowed to make so much noise using these air horns without controlling them?
I always rebutt their answer that they are making a living. So those people living in HDB no need to make a living? They don't need to rest on weekends? Then how about those work on night shifts like cab and bus drivers, factory shift workers, no need to sleep? And babies and old people, no need to sleep and nap? How about sick people resting at home? If the older generation of karang gunis can go floor by floor asking for old goods, why these newer generations who are fitter and younger cannot do it? Why do they have to be so inconsiderate and come everyday to blast the airhorn? Older generation can go floor to floor, so why these people are so lazy and because of their laziness, hundreds of HDB dwellers have to bear all these noise pollution all these years?
I am not condemning them, of course if they can just shout for their business instead of keep on blasting the stupid horn. Moreover, my estate already has lifts stopping very floor, so why don't use them? Already so good life with such lifts, as the older generation ones have to carry piles of newspapers using the stairs since the lifts before the life upgrading stops at 1, 6 and 11. If they are doing their business without making too much noise, then fine. But if they want to use the air horn and come everyday and blast, then they should be banned.
It was in 2006 that I finally cannot take it that in the end, I have to write a complain email to the Town Council. Then I was working night shift work. I really needed my sleep but all these people keep on coming every hour in the morning. How to sleep?
At first the Town Council put up "No Horning" signs around the carpark areas, but these people simply ignore them and continue blasting their horns. After that I called in the police for help. They said that they will get rid of those foreign and illegal workers working as karang gunis. The number of people blasting the horns decreases, but not the frequencies and new people came in again. So I called the Town Council and police again for help and then people go, new ones come in again, frequency still the same and everyday. And this cycle occurs again and again till present. Although I have changed my job, but these people are affecting my weekends.
By 2008, I was so fed up that I decided to bring NEA and HDB into the picture. At first NEA was quite hestitant although they agree that this is a noise pollution until I wrote a letter to one of the heads of NEA, then they decided to do something. Meanwhile the police, Town Council and NEA keep pushing the responsibilty to one another.
Police says that Town Council and NEA can only tell them to stop.
Town Council can only advise them to stop which does not help as they will come back again. so they only hope that NEA can only come up a ruling that the Town Council and Police can use to stop these people from creating this noise pollution.
NEA simply push the responsibility to the police and Town Council. This got me so fed up and I wrote a letter to this big shot in NEA, asking him to help me solve this noise polltuion problem. Now NEA deploy officers to check on my area once the frequncies of such noises are too much. Town Council did their part by advising them to stop when they see them but it doesn't help much since some of them are very stubborn.
Now the situation finally has some improvements, now only up to 4 of such blaring noises for the whole day but it is the same old stubborn people who come everyday, even without business. I am still working with the authorities to stop these people from using the air horn. But there is still these few stubborn one who refuse to cooperate.
Don't think that these people are friendly people, in fact, some even want to challenge you a fight when you tell them to keep quiet. There was one occasion that I went down and that guy behaves like a mad man, then challenge me to fight. "Not happy, call police", then keep on purposely horn even louder. I called the police and the police ask him to go away. I was damn angry that time but it will be stupid to beat him as the police will blame the one who throw the first punch.
Another stubborn one (till now) still thinks that he own the place, keeps on coming and blast the horn loudly like nobody's business and purposely stroll very slowly to prolong the din. And sometimes comes 3 to 4 times just in a morning. Went down to talk to him to be considerate but he act like a gangster, tell me "Is it your business?" in Hokkien. Even Town Council officer who talked to him many times (but he just don't want to cooperate) describe him as "aggressive". One fine day, I am going to nab him with the police and take down his particulars and submit to the NEA and summon him for causing a nuisance and noise pollution here.
My complains doesn't end here, as these people keep on bring so much noise here everyday. I had already wrote 3 emails to my MP from 2009 onwards and they are looking into the matter, according to the Town Council officer who worked with me for the past 2 years.
I'm not all out to ban the trade of karang guni and make them out of business but they should do their business in a way that do not disturb people peace and quiet at home. Enough is enough. We already have so much noise from the traffic, constructions, committe events, and other residents, why do we have to bear another noise from non residents who just smply wants to do business and make money? And I am not the only one complaining about this. In fact over the years, there a a number of complains on this urban nuisance in the newspapers and internet. We are also human and want to make a living and want to rest in a peaceful and quiet place like home. If not, where else can we go and rest quietly? HDB estates is a residential area, not a market place for people to come everyday and "pok pok pok pok pok". If you want to make so much noise, then go away. I really do hope that NEA will come up a ruling one day to stop the usage of hand held air horns in residential areas, but karang gunis can still come and do their business, either the traditional floor to floor method or shouting.
To TS:
I advise you to highlight this problem to the Town Council and NEA. Describe to the officers in charge the frequncies that these people blare their horns, day and time, and how they look, their clothings and the vehicle they drive, if any, and the license plate number. Call the police also. Just be persistant.
Also highlight this to your MP also personally or email. Once there are too many complaints about this, I think the government will intervene and stop this urban nuisance.
But I advise you try not to go face to face with them in case they might get aggressive. If they purposely want to provoke you, stop them if possible and call the police and let them handle. Don't let them get away and let the residents get bullied and bear their inconsiderate acts just because they act fierce.
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Originally posted by Jagged:
Few minutes also want to complain? Didn't our Army teach you to get uninterrupted sleep for good health? And just like what Rock Star said, it isn't so easy to go back to sleep after they come ok? They'll keep honking for a long while, and we'll be so furious the adrenaline will keep me awake for a long time.
Yes they're part of our landscape for many years. But so were roadside hawkers and baskers. Yet these 2 trades are strictly regulated by licence but the karung guni are free to honk however they like, in the guise of doing recycling work.
Yes, don't think I wouldn't want to move to Australia, or build sound proof room or move to condo. But talk is cheap, the above options aren't.
What to do? No $ so no choice but to endure the noise lor....
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They will be with us for a long long time.
Helping to discard the old newspaper, discard unwanted items out from our house.
I talked to one of my regular karung guni man, 60 yr old man.
Told me, hard to earn a living.
Must collect at least 500kg of paper to earn at least a few bulks.
Sometimes, paper collected and bring downstairs was stolen by others too.
And if I remembered clearly, the present selling is 0.08 cents for 1 kilo.
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Originally posted by likeyou:
They will be with us for a long long time.
Helping to discard the old newspaper, discard unwanted items out from our house.
I talked to one of my regular karung guni man, 60 yr old man.
Told me, hard to earn a living.
Must collect at least 500kg of paper to earn at least a few bulks.
Sometimes, paper collected and bring downstairs was stolen by others too.
And if I remembered clearly, the present selling is 0.08 cents for 1 kilo.
Wah u ask them how much they earn is it ? That's why education is important....
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children in public can make more noise and are more irritating than karang guni man. Can ban small children from public places?
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please support them
you give them income
n both parties do their parts for the environment.
nowadays even karang gunis are competed by Foreign Trash coming for a quick buck
dont like them can go stay condominiums. thats the only solution. -
help them by using SAF ear plugs (without dried ear sais).....
sometimes u have to endure double or triple impacts....
"KARANG GUNIIIIIIIII".....then from another direction...
KARI POK....ONEK ONEK"
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@vicamour
You obviously experience exactly the same thing and so you know exactly what i am talking about. Trust me, I have already written to NEA many times, even cc to their big boss. but time and again they've only given a very patronizing reply like "we have advised the karung guni men not to use their horn excessively". Writing to the police is even better. Their swift reply was that they've forwarded my concern to NEA and thus completely washed hands off the matter.
I have also gone down to talk to the karung guni man who comes at 8plus in the morning. Reasoning with him that there are elderly and babies who need to sleep too, even telling him to come later in the day. He gave the excuse that he'll face competition if he comes later (even though he comes and goes empty-handed at 8-9am every alternate day). He even said he cannot find any other job, and said sarcastically for me to hire him instead. There was another time after I let another fellow who honked from 8.50am-9.40am and he was still around, so I couldn't take it and shouted aggressively at him in hokkien to scram. At least this one was apologetic and left. But guess what? He's back again at the same timing few days later.
I was just as appalled when the bloody air horn came about. They used to go floor to floor and at most used a tinking bell which was pleasant. Now with lift stopping on every floor and open car parks, with the useless NEA doing nothing they blantantly honk forever, even it's so bloody obvious nobody is selling anything.
I am just short of going to my MP. But after reading what you wrote, I doubt that'll be of much help. I am contemplating getting a petition from all my neighbours already.
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Originally posted by Demon Bane:
Wah u ask them how much they earn is it ? That's why education is important....
He is my regular karung guni old man.My discarded items and newspaper is handled by him.
I usually called him when I want to throw away items.
And he actually told me about the money he earned.
A really hard job for him (60+).
He detest prc karung guni young man. Undercut tactics. And 'eat weigh' tactics too.
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Originally posted by likeyou:
He is my regular karung guni old man.My discarded items and newspaper is handled by him.
I usually called him when I want to throw away items.
And he actually told me about the money he earned.
A really hard job for him (60+).
He detest prc karung guni young man. Undercut tactics. And 'eat weigh' tactics too.
Wah PRCs also join karang guni meh? That's something new to me...
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that's noted. sometimes angie also very noisy when we together
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Originally posted by likeyou:
He is my regular karung guni old man.My discarded items and newspaper is handled by him.
I usually called him when I want to throw away items.
And he actually told me about the money he earned.
A really hard job for him (60+).
He detest prc karung guni young man. Undercut tactics. And 'eat weigh' tactics too.
i saw some guni man years back when they weight the newpadpad they hold on the balance wpring at the back of the balance and show you a lesser weight. but we don;t mind as long as the item can be resold or recycled eventually and the people come remove them to clear the area cool already. -
Originally posted by Jagged:
@vicamour
You obviously experience exactly the same thing and so you know exactly what i am talking about. Trust me, I have already written to NEA many times, even cc to their big boss. but time and again they've only given a very patronizing reply like "we have advised the karung guni men not to use their horn excessively". Writing to the police is even better. Their swift reply was that they've forwarded my concern to NEA and thus completely washed hands off the matter.
I have also gone down to talk to the karung guni man who comes at 8plus in the morning. Reasoning with him that there are elderly and babies who need to sleep too, even telling him to come later in the day. He gave the excuse that he'll face competition if he comes later (even though he comes and goes empty-handed at 8-9am every alternate day). He even said he cannot find any other job, and said sarcastically for me to hire him instead. There was another time after I let another fellow who honked from 8.50am-9.40am and he was still around, so I couldn't take it and shouted aggressively at him in hokkien to scram. At least this one was apologetic and left. But guess what? He's back again at the same timing few days later.
I was just as appalled when the bloody air horn came about. They used to go floor to floor and at most used a tinking bell which was pleasant. Now with lift stopping on every floor and open car parks, with the useless NEA doing nothing they blantantly honk forever, even it's so bloody obvious nobody is selling anything.
I am just short of going to my MP. But after reading what you wrote, I doubt that'll be of much help. I am contemplating getting a petition from all my neighbours already.
Maybe you can try the petition from all your neighbours. Whatever it is, be persistant. Let the authorities know the problem and how excessively this noise pollution is in your area.
It is still good to let your MP know the problem too. At least he know and the government knows more about this urban nuisance. Once there are too many complains about this, the authorities will step in and control and put a stop on such uses of hand held air horns in HDB estates.
Just get your stand right, i.e., stop and ban the use of hand held air horns in HDB estates by these business people. Karang gunis can either shout for their business or go floor to floor for their business. Only stop those who refuse to cooperate and continue blaring these air horns regularly in HDB estates. Let those cooperative ones continue their trade.
The authorities will get what you mean but you have to clarify your problems and how to stop these people from blaring the air horns. But if you still think that this is not enough, maybe you can bring this problem to the public service department.
Here are some of the newspapers articles for the past few years on such complains.
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Originally posted by troublemaker2005:
i saw some guni man years back when they weight the newpadpad they hold on the balance wpring at the back of the balance and show you a lesser weight. but we don;t mind as long as the item can be resold or recycled eventually and the people come remove them to clear the area cool already.
today they use iphone to calculate the cost of your items, holy shit, they had advanced -
Originally posted by angel7030:
today they use iphone to calculate the cost of your items, holy shit, they had advanced
silly girl. they mentality can add and subtract do many calculations lah. its easy usually the items per household won;t be that much 1 lah. worse they just get a calculator put in their back ass pocket. you know, the pockets at the backside. -
Originally posted by troublemaker2005:
silly girl. they mentality can add and subtract do many calculations lah. its easy usually the items per household won;t be that much 1 lah. worse they just get a calculator put in their back ass pocket. you know, the pockets at the backside.
they got collect old clothings from me, but underwears and undies they dun want...funny -
Originally posted by likeyou:
All those as above is ok for me except 1 thing that I scare most of.2 pple knocking at your door asking you believe in god?
once got some one ring at our front gate, 2 handsome hunk telling me God is gracious and savior, I told me, I am Angel from Hell, both run..