A heartbroken mum was panicked after accidentally throwing her £3,000 diamond engagement ring in the bin.
When Jo Carter, 36, realising she had chucked the ring away in a clear out, she never thought she'd see it again.
But kindhearted recycling centre staff rifled through hundreds of bin bags to find the precious ring.
She called Five Lanes recycling centre near her home in Caldicot, south Wales, to report the missing item.
And her husband Craig, 38, and two council workers spent four hours sifting through rubbish bags before finding the right one.
The relieved mother said: "I was sobbing when I realised what I'd done.
"But they were tears of joy when Craig called to say they'd found it."
Jo rarely wears the ring after losing 10 stone in weight and keeps it on a candle at her home.
But she threw out the candle at the weekend forgetting the valuable ring was still on it.
Jo added: "It was a like a needle in a haystack.
"They looked into hundreds of bags before finding the right one."
The couple thanked the two workers at the recycling centre in Caldicot and gave them a case of lager, a £25 food voucher and a £10 scratchcard.
Jo praised staff at Monmouthshire council.
"Their kindness and good hearts have had me in tears," she continued.
"Craig went to the tip and two amazing human beings trawled through hundreds of bags to find it."
