Wastepaper is now imported even as it piles up in homes
Karang guni men shy away from it
By Jacqueline Poh
WASTEPAPER dealers in Singapore are importing tonnes of old newspapers ,from Malaysia every day although stacks of the same are piling up in HDB corridors and in homes in Singapore.
The dealers said they were resorting to imports because the karang guni men have stopped collecting old newspapers in Singapore.
The price of wastepaper has fallen from 14 cents in December 1992 to eight cents and karang guni men said it was not worth their while to collect. They preferred old appliances or clothes.
Nine dealers interviewed said prices had fallen because of excess supply caused by recycling worldwide.
Prices have also dipped because of fierce competition among major wastepaper exporters such as the United States and Hongkong.
Five of the nine dealers said they were making up for the 30 per cent to 50 per cent drop in the local supply by importing discarded newspapers from Malaysia.
Every day, about 200 tonnes of paper from across the Causeway arrive for re-export to Indonesia and other countries in the region.
The dealers said importing was cheaper than hiring workers to collect wastepaper in Singapore.
Mr Yeo Sing Chong, manager of Bin Company, Singapore's biggest dealer in old newspapers, said: "In Singapore, transport and labour costs are very high. We’d rather buy from Malaysia."
Meanwhile, old newspapers are piling up in homes here and families are being forced to throw them away.
Chua Chu Kang resident Lee Kian Sin, 45, a housewife, said the karang guni man had not come to her neighbourhood in the past four months.
She said: "What am I going to do with all these old newspapers now? I stacked them in my storeroom until there was no more space, then I put them outside the corridor.
"If the karang guni man doesn’t come by this week, I will ask my son to throw them beside the lift."
According to the dealers, the situation cannot go on indefinitely and the Government may have to step in.
Mr A.S. Rai, a wastepaper exporter said: "In four to five years’ time, the Government is going to have to step in and finance the collection of wastepaper. If not, there will be heaps of paper lying everywhere since we produce about 30,000 tonnes of wastepaper a month."
The dealers suggested that the Government introduce newspaper recycling bins in housing estates and hire either the dealers or karang guni men to clear them if it wants recycling to work here.
The Ministry of the Environment said it had been burning more old newspapers but did not give figures.
A spokesman said the burning of wastepaper that could otherwise be recycled had hampered the Government’s recycling efforts.
However, he emphasised that the drop in newspaper prices was temporary and that wastepaper collection should recover soon.
The Singapore Paper Merchants Association said pulp paper prices had risen by 60 per cent since the start of this year.
Wastepaper rates were also rising and, if this goes on, the karang guni men may start knocking on doors again.
Source : The Sunday Times, April 17, 1994
Recycling Point Dot Com
(C) 2000 All Rights Reserved