Then, he said, "At 2:00 p.m., I’m sitting on the couch, and I can suddenly see myself putting my wedding ring in the box in the pocket of the bag I just threw away. I was in disbelief. I had to have emptied out the pockets, I told myself. I dug through the clothes I packed, I tore up the drawer...and nothing."

In full panic mode, he called Waste Management, and the frantic rush to find the ring was on.

A Ring-Finding Odyssey

Bukauskas first reached Waste Management Customer Service Lead Courtney Myrick. That call led to Operational Manager Felipe Barrera and Operations Specialist Nedra Brown, allowing them to identify the driver as Jaime Santos, who was headed to the Carson Transfer Station (where the waste is dumped before being shipped off to Palmdale).

Bukauskas arrived at the Carson Transfer Station in time to learn that Santos' truck had not arrived yet. "That was like, 'Thank goodness - If it had come and already dropped off that stuff, it might have been long gone.'"

Along with the Carson team - Aracely Monterrey, Jorge Paz, Sergio Robles and Eduardo Castellanos - Bukauskas waited for the truck to arrive.

"At 5:30 on the dot, the truck rolls in, and they brought it over to a clean area. Aracely told me which part of the the truck it would be in if my trash got picked up at 8:30," said Bukauskas. As the truck dumped out its load, he saw his bag fall out, and the staff worked their way through the pile of trash to retrieve it.

And yes, the bag still had the ring inside.

"Nothing Short of a Miracle"

The Waste Management trash trucks carry 10 tons of garbage. Santos' truck would have normally dropped off its first load and then gone out for a second load, so the fact that Santos hadn't dumped the first load yet - and Bukauskas was able to catch the truck as it dropped off the load that afternoon - was extraordinarily lucky.

Along with reaching all of the right staff members at the right time, "It was nothing short of a miracle," Bukauskas said.

Waste Management leaders credited the team for their dedication and integrity.

"While it's not our practice to search inside the tipping floor due to safety concerns, in special cases like this - and with proper permission - we do our best to help customers in need," said Joel Robledo, Waste Management's district manager. "Sometimes we find what we're looking for, sometimes we don't. But one thing's for sure: Our team always goes above and beyond."

Bukauskas, who has been married for 10 years, says he is grateful to have the ring back to wear for many years to come.