Lottery winner recovers €1 million ticket from landfill

In a story that started as a misidentified prize, a man in Bitonto set out to spend a €1 million (£857,158) winning‑ticket, only to find it labelled “non‑payable” at a local shop. After realizing his mistake, his family alerted him to his favourite numbers that had been drawn, leading the group to return to the outlet where the ticket had been discarded along with other waste.

Local waste manager Roberto Nicola Toscano of SANB oversaw a two‑day search through a truck of collected rubbish. The team sifted through packed bags of garbage, ultimately locating the intact slip – a small bronze‑paper ticket flanked by damaged copies – inside a hole‑ridden bag.

The recovery effort was billed to the winner, who had signed a declaration covering the cost. Toscano accompanied the find with a tongue‑in‑cheek gesture, joking that “luck” resonated within his crew when they later pulled a scratch‑card and won €50 (£43).

Published 10 minutes ago