Million Euros That Was Accidentally Thrown Away in Southern Italy Was Recovered After a Two-day Search by Municipal Garbage Workers

The unidentified winner is being called a "double lucky" person. The incident occurred in the town of Bitonto in the Puglia region and was disclosed by Nicola Roberto Toscano, manager of the SANB waste management company. Toscano adapted the Latin saying "pecunia non olet" (money doesn't stink) to "luck doesn't stink, writing, "In this story, luck, money, and bad smell definitely came together.

According to Toscano and Italian press reports, a family member who regularly plays the same lottery numbers tried them again at a kiosk days earlier. When the ticket was scanned, it showed "Cannot be paid, leading the person to think it was a loser and toss it in the trash at the kiosk. After returning home, the family learned the numbers had won 1 million euros, but when they went back, the trash had been collected.

They contacted SANB, which traced the garbage to a specific truck and found the bags had not yet been compacted. Toscano told TGCOM24, "Luckily it was Sunday, otherwise it would have gone to the landfill. After identifying the compactor, the area was placed under armed guard, and after two days of searching through tons of waste, the ticket was found undamaged on Tuesday morning.

The waste company credited proper sorting for the recovery. Toscano praised the workers, saying the story shows the importance of organization and luck. Italian media reported the winner will cover the search costs. Toscano told ANSA, "There is something miraculous in this story, and La Repubblica dubbed the winner "double lucky.