MDI workers help woman find engagement ring in 2 tons of trash

A woman had a big scare when she lost a diamond engagement ring during a recent visit to Bar Harbor for a birthday party with some of her friends.

But she ultimately recovered the jewelry after a rescue mission by staff of the Harborside Hotel and the Eastern Maine Recycling transfer station in Southwest Harbor

The woman was staying at the Harborside with her friends when, while washing dishes before their departure, she unknowingly knocked the ring off a counter and into the trash, according to Freya Gallagher, who works at the transfer station.

In a panic, the woman then extended her stay to hunt for the missing ring. Eventually, the hotel staff deduced that it might have ended up in a container filled with more than two tons of garbage, Gallagher said.

On Monday, the hotel had the container taken to the Southwest Harbor transfer station — where it normally sends loads of construction waste — and its contents were dumped on the ground, according to Gallagher, who weighs deliveries at the station.

Working with the woman, employees donned rubber gloves and began searching for the trash bag, looking out for big gold party balloons and other easily recognizable contents.

After about a half hour, they found the ring, which the woman promptly brought inside the station to scrub off with soap.

“They found a beautiful ring. It was a little dirty,” said Gallagher. “I could see from a distance when they actually found it. She started crying and hugging them. She was very happy, and I guess she is on her way home.”