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Arequipa Workers Recover $7,000 Backpack Mistakenly Tossed in Trash

A quick alert followed by a coordinated landfill search enabled a same-day return.

Overview

  • The resident, who took out household trash Monday around 10 a.m., later realized a backpack with $7,000 was in the discarded bags.
  • About 20 minutes after the mistake, she called the district’s cleaning staff, which set off a targeted search.
  • City crews from the Gerencia de Servicios a la Ciudad transported her to the Quebrada Honda landfill, with the Provincial Municipality of Arequipa joining the effort.
  • Mayor Fredy Zegarra coordinated on site as workers searched during the unloading of collection trucks under safety and hygiene measures and located the backpack with the money intact.
  • She returned home the same day with the full amount, a result local outlets said shows how fast reporting can keep valuables from being lost in the waste stream.