A Potong Pasir resident, who has had enough, went to the media to complain about his neighbour upstairs for allegedly making loud noises with the constant slamming on the ground at night and cramming the common corridor with hoarded items.

The 56-year-old man, surnamed Ye (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News he moved into the block a year ago.

He said a couple in their 70s or 80s lives with their son in his 30s in the unit upstairs.

Ye told the reporters he complained to the authorities about the noise and corridor.

Determined to earn her own keep

Shin Min reporters spoke to the family being complained about.

They found out that a woman in the household works as a rag-and-bone woman, or karang guni.

The reporters noted that while it was quickly apparent that the corridor was full of goods, they didn't notice any weird smell.

The karang guni, who was not named, told the reporters she has been doing this job for over 20 years and is determined to keep earning her own keep.

"This is me having a backbone," she said.

She added that she wakes up every morning around 4am to look for old goods nearby and returns home only around midnight.

Before returning home, she would also push her trolley all the way to Toa Payoh Lorong 8 to buy and sell cardboard.

Children give her allowance but she just wants to work

The karang guni said she has five children who give her an allowance monthly, her husband has a job too, but she just wants to work.

She reiterated: "I don't want to live off others. This is me having a backbone. I earn my own money. I eat with my own money."

When asked how much she earns, she explained that every 100kg of cardboard sells for S$7 and 1kg of old clothes is worth S$0.10.

She said she picks up old electronics too, but a buyer would need to come to her with a lorry to bring them away.

Other residents not too bothered

Regarding her goods piling up in the corridors, the karang guni insists the used items outside her flat are not blocking foot traffic.

However, she said she agreed to listen to the town council to clear them up, but she would need some time and aims to finish doing so by next year's Lunar New Year.

Shin Min reporters interviewed other neighbours to find out if Ye was the only one with an issue with the karang guni.

One female resident, who claimed to live there for over 30 years, said she's not bothered.

While sometimes there might be "too much" going on in the corridors, the karang guni would clear some of it up when she reminded her.

However, she said she has been trying to sell her house for a while, and potential buyers often get spooked by what they see in the corridor.

Another anonymous resident said that even though it's "an eyesore", they did not think it was a problem if the goods don't stack in front of their unit.

In response to Shin Min's queries, the Jalan Besar Town Council spokesperson said they visited the unit on Aug. 4, 2023, but no one answered the door.

The spokesperson said they would continue encouraging the resident to clear the corridor.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News