West Bridgford man’s £1,000 jacket that was delivered next to his blue bin recovered by recycling teams at Colwick waste site

A Rushcliffe resident has praised the Borough Council’s waste and Customer Service teams and recycling contractor Veolia for recovering a parcel containing a new £1,000 jacket for his wife from over four tonnes of recycling after the box had mistakenly been left next to his recycling bin. 

The man from West Bridgford, who did not wish to be named, thanked the crew and operatives at the Council and Veolia’s waste transfer station at Colwick for taking swift action when he contacted them within minutes of his blue bin collection on New Year’s Eve 2021. 

He realised the delivery firm had placed the cardboard item next to his blue bin, despite him asking for it to be left in his porch at his property, resulting in the item being mistakenly picked up with his other recycling waste.

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As soon as they were notified, the Council’s waste team immediately diverted the vehicle from its rounds ensuring only half its capacity had to be searched to attempt to find the parcel, instead of its usual nine tonne load. 

Incredibly, staff found the item within half an hour of the search starting and the gift remained intact for the jacket to be gifted in perfect condition. 

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety Cllr Rob Inglis said: “We are very pleased that the team could work quickly with partners at Veolia to safely return the item safely to its owner, especially considering the item was a gift for a loved one. 

“They quickly adapted to the situation to search for the jacket and we were delighted to hear the resident’s reaction when it was located, he couldn’t have been more thankful.”

“A Veolia spokesperson said: “We are delighted that we were able to reunite the owner with his parcel on this occasion. It’s very difficult to find lost items amongst the volume of recycling that we receive into the facility. A very fortunate set of circumstances made it possible on this occasion and our team is thrilled to have been able to help.”

Residents are encouraged to make sure they specify safe delivery instructions when making delivery orders to prevent items being placed in an incorrect location.