What on Earth happened to all the rag and bone men?

Question

When I was very young, we used to have these huge scary blokes with great big horses and carts (like Steptoe on the telly), they used to come round our streets shouting "RAG-BONE"! And if you were smart you could sell your mates Mum's washing machine to him for a quid. You didn't need recycling centres in those days. Crikey, them were rotten days - them.

Can anyone remember this? Where have they gone?

Answer 1

There is one in Hull. He has a horse and cart ( the best form of transport these days!)

he shouts Rag'n'BONEEE!

Answer 2

yes I remember them, if you took out an old torn jumper or something to them the rag and bone man would give you a helium balloon, don't know why they all disappeared though

Answer 3

Hi, I remember them, they used to give you "donkey stones" if you gave them any clothes, donkey stones were used for whitening your door step.  Also my mum got a live chicken  off the rag and bone man in the 1950's, they used to give away all types of things...........we used to love him coming round.

Answer 4

We still get them regularly around our street, shouting any old iron and such! They'll only take what they can sell on now and you don't get nothing for it either!!!

Answer 5

There are still a few around, but you can generally make more money on the dole.

Answer 6

yeah i remember them lol, things use to be so different

Answer 7

They evolved into what we call, "skip rats". They drive around all day in a flat bed van and when they see some scrap of value by the tonne on the top of a full skip they pounce. Not worth anything on its own, but it all adds up.

Put anything of value out for the binmen and it disappears.

No more free manure for the roses and the chances of a balloon are slim, but they are still out there on the streets.

You've brought back fond memories of the horse though :0)

Answer 8

I live in Essex, England - we still have one which goes around now and then - he does a great trade.  The first 'Rag and Bone' men really did just collect rags and bones, not scrap metal.  The rags went for paper making and the bones for bone china.  As a child we used to collect metal from where ever we could find it and wait for the familiar ring of the bell and run to the cart to sell what we had found.

Answer 9

They like to be known now as "First generation Recyclers",

probably raking in a fortune as Government advisers to a cleaner environmentally friendly world.

Yet, to Visit the "The New World" and China.

Answer 10

Re-cycling replaced them

Answer 11

They are now called antique dealers or scrap metal merchants.  And they are very wealthy indeed!