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Tuesday, 16th May 2006 (5371 views)

Britain's rubbish tips could be a veritable goldmine if results from a survey by waste disposal company Hippowaste are at all representative of the treasures the UK throws away.

Discoveries at one hundred waste dumps include a staggering number of precious items, either with a recognisable market value or a worth that could make eyes water in niche markets.

A recent chance find dumped in the river at Cheltenham revealed a large number of rings, bracelets and necklaces, which is being investigated by the police.

Jewellery and cash turn up frequently. It seems that the waste contractors are also astute detectives, as a number of the unintentional disposals are traced back to their source and returned.

This could be excellent news in the case of finds such as the black plastic bags containing £200,000 that turned up in a landfill barge on the Thames, though the culprits dumping court evidence and a fake bomb may have found themselves needing to make good their explanations.

A prize winning 'golden ticket' for a £10,000 cruise almost joined the ranks of rubbish yesterday when a Wiltshire teacher threw it away with some packaging, but she subsequently retrieved it when she noticed the gold reflecting enticingly in the bin.

 

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