A South Carolina woman has two happy ending stories to tell about her wedding ring.
The first most likely has to do with the day it was given to her, when they asked her to marry him.
The second, with the day they gave it back, but this time after
an almost non-return trip of the precious jewel
through a waste recycling center.
Melanie Harper, who lives in Greenville, accidentally dropped a diamond and white gold ring into a recycling bin on Sunday, January 28, which was then picked up by a truck and taken to a processing center.
After noticing that her precious garment was missing, Harper decided to contact the city's Department of Public Works to ask for the almost impossible: that workers take on the task of searching for it in what were probably mountains of waste to be recycled.
The recovered ring.
City of Greenville Public Works Department
Harper's message exuded heartbreak with a few drops of hope: “I know the chances of finding him are slim to none.
But if the ring is found during the recycling process, I would appreciate it if someone would contact me,” she wrote, quoted by People magazine.
After reading the message, Jeff Hammond, who is superintendent of solid waste for the city of Greenville, made the decision that the container where the waste from Harper's house had been deposited would not be taken to a landfill, and asked the workers to pour its contents onto the ground and search for it.
A needle in a haystack
For the workers at the recycling center they were hours of work and – as the saying goes – the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack.
All those who participated were also married and understood that beyond the intrinsic value of the jewel, the ring had a unique meaning for the woman.
Finally, an employee identified as Travis Golden, who works in street cleaning for the Department of Public Works, made the discovery on Monday, January 29.
Travis Golden, James Burnside and Melanie Harper. City of Greenville Public Works Department.
“It's hard to believe you can find a ring in that big pile [of trash],” Golden said, quoted by USA Today, last Thursday.
“We found two fake rings before we found the real one.”
Those responsible for the happy ending were, in addition to Hammond and Golden, James Burnside, Frank Daigneault and Manny Cruz, who will be recognized by the city mayor, the weekly reported.
“I know that if it was either of our wives and it was something that special, we would expect someone to do the same for us, so that's what we did,” Hammond said, quoted by People magazine.
The story, although incredible, already had a preamble, the magazine reported.
In November of last year, a New Hampshire woman also accidentally dropped her wedding ring in the trash.
The debris where the ring was found. City of Greenville Public Works Department.
As in Harper's case, he contacted the waste reception center and asked for help.
“She gave me some details: what time her husband took out the trash and what was in the bag,” Dennis Senibaldi, director of general services at the Windham station, explained to local news channel WHDH, quoted by People magazine.
In this case, Senibaldi relied on surveillance recordings to determine where the jewel could be.
After rummaging through a 20-ton trash container and digging about 12 feet (4.5 meters), the bag containing the ring was found.
“When I spoke to her, she was completely heartbroken.
[After the discovery] she was very happy, she gave me a big hug and was very grateful,” Senibaldi told station WHDH.
“We are public servants and I think this really highlights the meaning of public service,” he said.
With information from People and USA Today.