junk dealer; rag-and-bone man; garbage collector
Historically refers to a person who collects and sells waste paper, rags, and scrap. In modern contexts, it can also mean a garbage collector, though ごみ収集員 is more common. The term can carry a slightly derogatory or old-fashioned nuance; it is sensitive.
In the old days, junk dealers went around town collecting old newspapers.
彼はくず屋に金属くずを売った。
He sold scrap metal to the junk dealer.
Common mixed kana-kanji spelling; the kanji 屑 is not in the Jōyō set, so kana is often used for the first part.
Full kanji spelling; 屑 is a non-Jōyō kanji, so this form is less common in everyday writing.
Compound of くず (屑, 'waste, scrap') and 屋 (や, 'shop, dealer'). The reading くずや follows standard rendaku rules.