Talk about being down in the dumps: What began as a surprise for an elderly Tel Aviv woman, has turned into an absolute nightmare as the old mattress she had owned for years was thrown into the trash by her well meaning daughter who wanted to surprise her mother with a new one.
Unfortunately, the old mattress is alleged to be holding the mother’s life savings of around a million dollars. Maybe we should think twice before tossing old furnishings to the dump?
The mattress was long gone when the elderly woman discovered it missing, along with her savings. Her daughter, whose name is Anat, immediately began calling the sanitation authorities who told her the mattress could have been taken to anyone of three different landfills that receive as much as 2,500 tons of garbage and trash per day.
Sanitation workers have been trying to help locate the mattress for the distraught women; and Anat herself went immediately to the largest site located in the “south of the country” to try to find the mattress.
These landfills have replaced the former Hiriya “garbage mountain” that used to be used outside of Tel Aviv, and now remains as a monument to how sold waste disposal (thanks to old mattresses and more) can mount up into what is now a virtual 150 meter high landmark that may even be made into a park.
Our previous article on Hiriya noted that methane gas and other “by-products” of the still decomposing garbage will be around for years.
Now, the landfills are conveniently relocated far away from major population areas, but not far enough away from polluting the ground water and delicate ecological balance of nature in the region.
Back to the missing mattress: Video clips of sanitation workers and other volunteers tearing open old mattresses have been shown on both local and international news networks all day, and security personnel has been stationed at the suspected landfills to try to prevent people from going on their own scavenger hunts.
By now though, the mattress is either buried under tons of trash or already found by unknown people with the “finders keepers, losers weepers” attitude in mind.
No doubt, this bizarre tragi-comedy will find its way to local and international comedy and talk shows such as Conan O’Brian’s Tonight Show in America.
Anat’s mom is a bit philosophical about the incident though, saying that “people have to thank God for what they have, and to accept the good and bad things in life.”
Good advice to sleep on.
[…] Israel’s garbage dumps and landfills are often referred to as large, unsightly “garbage mountains” such as the Hiriya garbage mound near Tel Aviv. With the Hiriya site now in the process of getting a new “face” by being turned into a large ecology park, many waste disposal sites have been relocated out of sight and mind to the country’s southern Negev region, where literally all types of garbage are buried, including large items like thrown out mattresses. […]
No, she should’ve used a bank account, that’s what they are for.
As far as this being a publicity stunt, what for though?
This story is really sad. I guess it is true no good deed goes unpunished. The daughter’s intentions were good but she just threw away 4 times the money that the new mattress probably cost. I wonder how their relationship will be now.
[…] on recycling and trash: The Middle East is Drowning in Waste Woman Tosses Million Dollar Mattress into Dump Making a Dent in the “Clean Up The World Day” AKPC_IDS += "16665,";Browse topics: […]
This is why people invented banks, much saver then a mattress… I hope she was at least getting her mum a new Memory Foam Mattress, they are worth a fortune in comfort if you know what I mean 🙂
This is INSANE! I guess it’s back to the balatot…
Hopefully, they find that million dollar mattress. To add… MY GOODNESS!!! I really cannot say anything else. I am left speechless.
Woman Tosses Million Dollar Mattress In Dump: She Should Have Recycled! http://tinyurl.com/lwq739
Something “smells” here? I wonder if this is just a publicity stunt!