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Cleaners in China go through tonnes of trash to retrieve man’s lost cash
30th of January 2025
A group of sanitation workers in China searched through a pile of rubbish for six hours to help a young couple retrieve cash that had been thrown away by mistake.
The unnamed groom-to-be in eastern China's Shandong province had accidentally thrown away banknotes to the value of 230,000 yuan - equivalent to more than €30,000 - in a takeaway bag.
He immediately contacted the building's property management company for help. "I lost my mind after knowing that my money went missing," he said. "My mind was a blank. The 230,000 yen was money my fiancée and I had saved in the last few years for our wedding."
Seven sanitation workers searched through four tonnes of rubbish multiple times before eventually finding the cash. The couple gave the cleaners a lump sum as a token of appreciation and the local authorities also awarded them 5,000 yuan, which is around €650.
Cleaners often find large quantities of cash during the course of their work. In September 2024, Auwal Ahmed Dankode found the equivalent of US$10,000 in banknotes while cleaning an aircraft in Kano, Nigeria. He handed the money in to the Egypt Air station manager and received a cash reward and instant promotion for his efforts.
And last July, cleaner Tran Thi Huong handed in a bag containing the equivalent of US$54,900 in cash at Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam. She was also given a cash sum for her honesty.
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