Oregon man reunited with lost life savings, thanks to workers at a recycling facility


After accidentally throwing away a shoebox containing his life savings, a man in Ashland, Oregon, crossed his fingers and hoped that workers at a recycling facility would somehow manage to discover it among the tons of cardboard, glass, and aluminum.
The man tossed the shoebox containing $23,000 into his recycling bin on Thursday morning, and realized his mistake later in the day. By that time, his recycling had already been dumped into a truck headed for California. He made a few calls and discovered that his recycling was now at a Recology facility in the Humboldt County city of Samoa. "We take quite a bit of material every day, so the odds of finding that are not much better than a needle in a haystack," Linda Wise, general manger of the Samoa Resource Recovery Center, told The Press Democrat.
Most of the bags were sorted Thursday night, but a few had been left for the morning crew. Wise told the employees to keep an eye out for the box, and one worker managed to spot it before it went to the landfill. Most of the money was still inside, with only $320 lost along the way. The man was thrilled by the discovery, and Wise said "everyone who was on the sorting line was beaming."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Is it finally all change for train Wi-Fi?
In The Spotlight South Western Railway's 5G Wi-Fi service has changed the way passengers connect – but will the new system catch on?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A cheesy chase, a cinema on water, and more
-
Ancient India: living traditions – 'ethereal and sensual' exhibition
The Week Recommends Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are explored in show that remains 'remarkably compact'
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read