N.Y. Sanitation Workers Perform ‘Miracle’ Finding 2 Heirloom Rings Accidentally Thrown Away in 20,000 Lbs. of Trash
N.Y. Sanitation Workers Perform ‘Miracle’ Finding 2 Heirloom Rings Accidentally Thrown Away in 20,000 Lbs. of Trash
Rachel McRadyMon, August 10, 2026 at 2:46 PM UTC
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N.Y. Sanitation Department workers recovered to lost heirloom rings.Credit: New York City Department of Sanitation -
Two sanitation workers found heirloom rings after sifting through 20,000 lbs. of trash
The recovered rings included a four-generation platinum engagement ring and a gold and diamond promise ring
Commenters praised the workers’ efforts, calling them “miracle workers” and suggesting they deserve a bonus
Two New York City sanitation workers went above and beyond to help one Brooklyn resident.
After the resident realized they’d accidentally thrown out two heirloom rings in the garbage, they desperately reached out to the Sanitation Department to see if anything could be done.
In a post on their Facebook page on Aug. 7, the Sanitation Department detailed the moment, saying two of their employees managed to track down the specific truck that visited the resident’s home and confine their search to one massive pile of garbage.
Sanitation workers look through a massive pile of trash to find heirloom rings.Credit: New York City Department of Sanitation
“It isn’t exactly a needle in a haystack, but some accidentally discarded rings were dug up!” the Facebook post reads. “With a dumped out truck and a little bit of luck, the rings were found. We love a success story!”
The Today show covered the discovery, sharing that the workers sifted through 20,000 lbs. of garbage to find the lost treasures. Despite sharing photos of the mountain of trash, the Sanitation Department said the workers found the rings in just 10 minutes.
According to Today, the rings that were recovered included a gold and diamond promise ring and a four-generation platinum and diamond engagement ring.
PEOPLE has reached out to the N.Y. Sanitation Department for additional details.
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The heirloom rings recovered by the N.Y. Sanitation Department.Credit: New York City Department of Sanitation
Commenters praised the sanitation workers in the comments section of the post.
“My tax dollars better go towards a bonus for these guys,” one N.Y. resident wrote.
“That’s crazy! Miracle workers. Literally,” another commenter wrote.
These are not the only pieces of lost heirloom jewelry to be miraculously recovered. Back in January 2025, New Yorker Diana Freedman put out a call for help after she lost her grandmother’s necklace on a JetBlue flight from California to New York.
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Freedman reached out to the Long Island Amazing Moms Facebook group about the lost heirloom and one member, who happened to work for the airline, was able to track down the plane and recover the necklace.
“It was happy tears for a long time after that, and I still feel it right now,” Freedman said following the reunion. “I feel so lucky and so blessed.”
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
