Lost Diamond Recovered With the Help of Watertown DPW Employee

A woman who realized she had lost the diamond off her ring in a recycling bin recovered the stone thanks to the assistance of a Watertown Public Works employee who sifted through the refuse.

On Nov. 15, a Belmont resident who asked not to be named had just been shopping at one of her favorite markets in East Watertown, Arax, when she decided to recycle some boxes. She put them into the nearby sidewalk recycling bin on Mt. Auburn Street.

When she got home, the woman realized that the diamond from a ring she had had for more than two decades was gone. She thought back and realized it must have come off when she she disposing of the boxes.

“I was trying to rip up the boxes,” she said. “Arax has a public recycling bin out front.”

She called the City to find out if she could get help searching for the precious stone.

On Monday, Recycling Program Manager Matt Bacon had a message waiting for him.

“I got a call from 311 about it. They had been called by the resident over the weekend,” he said. “They forwarded the message over to me. I reached out to her to let her know I could unlock the bin for her.”

The bin is emptied three times a week, and Bacon was able to contact the trash and recycling contractor, Republic Services, to have them hold off on emptying it on Monday. He met the woman to search for the stone.

“We gloved-it up and I brought a trash bag so we could sort the contents,” Bacon said.

The woman said that while it is marked as a recycling bin, there was much more than just cardboard and other recyclables. There were Dunkin’ Donuts cups, trash, and muck, she said.

“Not only did he help me, he was the one who spied it with his eyes,” she said.

Bacon said the search only lasted about 10 minutes.

“Honestly we were really lucky. We were digging not for super long,” Bacon said. “It was not that full, and I could tip it on its side. I was able to tip it out and it was there sitting on a piece of paper.” 

The woman was very thankful for Bacon’s assistance.

“I am so delighted and so grateful,” she said. “I love to celebrate people who go above and beyond.”

Bacon was humble about his role in finding her gem.

“I was just doing my job,” he said.

The woman showed her gratitude by bringing some goodie baskets to the Watertown DPW on Tuesday.