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Priceless heirlooms rescued from trash by NYC Sanitation workers
After a Brooklyn resident lost priceless rings in the trash, city sanitation workers came to the rescue. FOX 5 NY's Jennifer Williams has the story.
NEW YORK CITY - When some irreplaceable heirlooms were accidentally tossed into the garbage, the New York City Department of Sanitation swooped in to pull off a miraculous rescue.
What we know:
After the resident realized the mistake and contacted the city, a massive recovery effort was set in motion.
A sanitation truck loaded with garbage was pulled aside and dumped out, so the contents could be carefully sifted. With some serious legwork and a little bit of luck, the rings were successfully recovered.
"We love a success story," the department said in a Facebook post.
Dig deeper:
While digging through tons of trash sounds like a rare extreme, a DSNY spokesperson says that it happens much more often than we think. Every couple of months, a New Yorker accidentally throws away something vital.
If you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, here is how the city handles it:
- Act fast, and call 311 right away.
- If the city is notified in time, DSNY will pull the specific garbage truck aside.
- The department then sets up what is officially called a "Last Valuable Search."
- The resident, accompanied by one other person, is given exactly 90 minutes to go through the trash together to locate the item.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the New York City Department of Sanitation.