Waste workers help find binned €1m lottery ticket in Italy

Image source, Getty ImagesByAndré Rhoden-PaulPublished5 August 2026, 12:43 BSTUpdated 56 minutes agoA lottery player who accidentally binned a €1m (£857,158) winning-ticket may be the luckiest man in Italy after refuse workers found the missing slip.

The anonymous player disposed of the ticket in a shop in Bitonto, southern Italy, after checking his numbers and being told it was "non-payable".

The man only realised he threw away a winning ticket after a relative pointed out the numbers he always played had been drawn.

It sparked a two-day search through a "mountain of waste" which had been collected by a bin lorry, the head of the refuse company, Roberto Nicola Toscano, told Italian news agency Ansa.

"This story is nothing short of miraculous," he added.

Recounting the story, he said the mix-up happened because the "non-payable" message appears when the prize is too high to be paid out by the shop.

When the player returned home, his family reportedly pointed out his favourite numbers - 2, 4, 8, 10, and 51 - had been drawn.

"It was then that he realised the misunderstanding. So they all went to the shop together and discovered that the tickets had been thrown away and collected by one our operators," said Toscano, director of SANB who handles waste collection in the area.

After the player made contact with the refuse company, the bin lorry was located before its contents were compacted for disposal.

"Luckily it was a Sunday, otherwise the load would have already ended up in landfill," the boss told Italian broadcaster TGCOM24.

The truck was then escorted to a special site where the search began to find the "small piece of paper hidden in a mountain of waste".

Finally after a two-day search, the winning ticket was reportedly found by a waste worker on Tuesday morning.

"It was in a hole-ridden bag along with other damaged tickets: this was one of the few intact ones," Toscano told Ansa.

The cost of the recovery operation is set to be charged to the winner, who had previously signed a declaration promising to cover the costs associated with the search.

The luck even rubbed off when Toscano and his colleagues bought a scratch card as a joke. They won €50 (£43).

Related topicsLotteryItalyMore on this storyMexican influencer shot dead during livestream

Police raid Starbucks Korea headquarters over 'Tank Day' fiasco

Russian strike kills at least 17 as Zelensky says interceptors could have saved lives

PreviousNext1:12South Korea hit by record breaking heatwave. 00:01:12, play videoSouth Korea hit by record breaking heatwave0:41Mysterious elephant deaths in Kenya. 00:00:41, play videoMysterious elephant deaths in Kenya1:14Kyiv strikes after Ukraine's 'Russian Amazon' attacks. 00:01:14, play videoKyiv strikes after Ukraine's 'Russian Amazon' attacks0:45Oil giants make record profits as Iran war pushes up prices. 00:00:45, play videoOil giants make record profits as Iran war pushes up prices0:30Warehouse on fire after drone attack in Russia. 00:00:30, play videoWarehouse on fire after drone attack in Russia0:50Swimmer to meet PM after brain cancer funding plea. 00:00:50, play videoSwimmer to meet PM after brain cancer funding plea1:01'Human safari' drone targets Ukrainian vegetable seller. 00:01:01, play video'Human safari' drone targets Ukrainian vegetable seller0:44'Just joking' added to England World Cup win tattoo. 00:00:44, play video'Just joking' added to England World Cup win tattoo0:49Moment passenger train crashes into trailer carrying straw bales. 00:00:49, play videoMoment passenger train crashes into trailer carrying straw bales0:59The city closing down streets so children can play. 00:00:59, play videoThe city closing down streets so children can play1:23The Mexican song that captivated lovers during WWII. 00:01:23, play videoThe Mexican song that captivated lovers during WWII1:30What it's like wearing the niqab in the UK. 00:01:30, play videoWhat it's like wearing the niqab in the UK0:37Crispy butter beans with whipped feta. 00:00:37, play videoCrispy butter beans with whipped feta0:57Days of strikes at 'Russian Amazon' sites. 00:00:57, play videoDays of strikes at 'Russian Amazon' sites1:26What we know about death of Scottish woman in Athens. 00:01:26, play videoWhat we know about death of Scottish woman in Athens1:30Swimmer's emotional plea for cancer investment. 00:01:30, play videoSwimmer's emotional plea for cancer investment0:37Pilot caught with 70,000 ecstasy pills at airport. 00:00:37, play videoPilot caught with 70,000 ecstasy pills at airport1:01What are the 'luteal uglies'? 00:01:01, play videoWhat are the 'luteal uglies'?0:59Are current breast cancer checks good enough? 00:00:59, play videoAre current breast cancer checks good enough?0:40US reports first deaths linked to cyclospora outbreak. 00:00:40, play videoUS reports first deaths linked to cyclospora outbreakTop storiesPolice chief considers joining legal action over PC Harper killers' early release

Ex-MP urges Tories to block council candidate jailed for antisemitic abuse against her

Family 'devastated' by death of girl, 9, injured on Arbroath industrial estate

The cost of being single – and how friends are teaming up to beat it

From flip flops to fisherman's sandals: How to look after your feet this summer

'My grandmother subjected my baby to female genital mutilation behind my back'

'I was addicted to porn while training for the Olympics'

Kate Nash on Irish history, heritage and covering Sinéad O'Connor

There's a reason child vaccination rates are falling - and it's not social media

'This year has been the worst for my heat anxiety'

Ariana Grande has had enough of body comments, but 'scrutiny' will linger

Get news, tips and ideas for your family with our Summer Essential newsletter

Love shouldn't feel like fear

How hydrated do you really need to be?

Melvin Odoom on the MiniDiscs he can't throw away

The origin story of the first Comic Con

Family 'devastated' by death of girl, 9, injured on Arbroath industrial estate

Drone carrying explosives found at German airport, police say

Waste workers help winner find binned €1m lottery ticket in Italy

'I was addicted to porn while training for the Olympics'

Police chief considers joining legal action over PC Harper killers' early release

Anthropic AI created fake profiles and impersonated people in attempted hack

Ex-MP urges Tories to block council candidate jailed for antisemitic abuse against her

Couple woke to find shirtless intruder in Travelodge room