Recycling plant employees recover diamond ring woman accidentally threw away

A South Carolina woman, Melanie Harpe, experienced a stroke of luck on Monday after her diamond wedding ring, which was accidentally thrown into a recycling bin, was recovered from a local recycling plant.

The incident occurred at the Rutherford Road recycling center in Greenville on January 28. Harpe’s valuable ring had fallen off while she was disposing of recyclables, leading to a brief moment of distress before it was retrieved.

Despite feeling disheartened by the incident, she reached out to the City of Greenville’s Public Works department via email, as reported by the New York Post.

She wrote, “I know the likelihood of finding this is slim to none. But, if the ring is found during the course of processing the recycling, I would be most appreciative if someone could contact me.”

City authorities later announced the successful recovery of Harpe’s lost diamond ring. Instead of processing all the contents of the recycling bin as usual, Public Works employees engaged in a dedicated treasure hunt on Monday, ultimately locating the valuable ring.

“Public Works supervisors and litter crew members said, ‘Let’s dump it on the ground and look for it,’” wrote the City of Greenville.

Public Works employee Travis Golden found the ring “after hours of searching,” the city said. Golden “struck gold. White gold,” the city shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday, January 30.

The City of Greenville reunited Harpe with her lost diamond ring on Monday. In the Facebook post, the city singled out the Public Works employees who played a crucial role in finding the ring for commendation.

Facebook users joined in praising the dedicated efforts of the Public Works team in the comments section.

“So nice! I hope those gentlemen get treated to a steak dinner,” wrote one Facebook user.

“We absolutely LOVE our Greenville public works department!!” wrote another user.