On 2/8, an unnamed woman from Bari province, Puglia, took her lottery ticket, purchased for the 31/7 drawing, to a store for verification.

The scanner displayed a "cannot pay" message, indicating the prize exceeded the store's payout limit. Unaware of this rule, the woman assumed the ticket was not a winner and left it at the store before returning home.

Later, a relative discovered the numbers on the ticket had won a 1.15 million USD prize. The family returned to the store, but the ticket had been discarded in a trash bin, which a vehicle from the SANB sanitation company had just collected. The woman then contacted Roberto Nicola Toscano, director of SANB, for assistance.

"We tracked the ticket's journey, though with little hope, as it was already in the garbage truck," Toscano stated.

Illustration: Guardian

SANB identified the specific truck that collected the trash from the store and stopped the vehicle before the waste could be compacted. Because the trash might contain hazardous materials, the company could not open the truck to search on-site. The vehicle, carrying about 6 tons of waste, was transported to a specialized processing facility in the Bari area for sorting.

Workers opened each bag, finding many damaged lottery tickets and stubs. At 5:30 on 4/8, a worker discovered the intact winning ticket inside a torn bag.

The woman received her ticket after being notified by phone. Before returning it, Toscano touched the ticket for good luck. He and several staff members later bought scratch tickets and won about 58 USD.

The operation incurred costs for transportation, labor, and waste processing. As SANB is a public enterprise, the woman had to sign a commitment to cover all expenses before the search commenced. The company has not yet disclosed the specific amount.

Ngoc Ngan (According to Guardian)