noun
rag-and-bone man; junk collector; garbage man
Colloquial term for a person who collects and sells scrap, rags, or waste. Can sound old-fashioned or rough; modern equivalents include 廃品回収業者.
昔、バタ屋がリヤカーを引いて町を回っていた。
In the old days, ragmen used to go around town pulling handcarts.
バタ屋のおっちゃんが古い鉄くずを買い取ってくれた。
The junk collector bought our old scrap metal.