A winning lottery ticket for "one million euros" was found in a garbage truck in Bari, Italy, after its owner threw it away by mistake in a trash bin.

The woman threw the ticket away after checking it at a shop, where the automatic verification machine displayed that the amount "cannot be paid" – a standard message for large winnings that are not paid out by retailers. Once she realized that this actually meant a large jackpot, rather than a refusal of winnings, she immediately contacted the waste collection company.

The truck that had collected the waste from the shop was quickly identified thanks to route tracking. The employees stopped the vehicle and carried out a careful search of the accumulated trash. The operation lasted for hours and involved going through numerous receipts and other tickets.

In the end, the lottery ticket was found "unharmed" among the waste and returned to its owner, who can now file her claim for the prize with the lottery authorities.