Husband Digs Through Dump And Finds Wife’s Wedding Rings

August 26, 2025

Most people would call it hopeless: two rings accidentally tossed into the compost, hauled away with 18 tonnes of waste, and buried at the local dump.

But one Mission, B.C. husband refused to give up — and against all odds, he dug through the mess until he found both of his wife’s cherished rings.

Steve Van Ysseldyk / Credit: CTV News

Jeannine Van Ysseldyk first noticed the jewelry missing after washing her hands at a restaurant.

"I went to the washroom. I washed my hands, and I looked down and said, 'Where are my rings?' I actually had to leave the restaurant because I was upset."

The couple retraced their steps and realized the rings must have slipped off the night before. After a trip to the movies, Jeannine had spilled some popcorn on the lawn and tossed it into the compost. That’s when her precious wedding and anniversary bands likely went along with the scraps.

By the time they pieced it together, their garbage and compost were already collected. That didn’t stop Steve Van Ysseldyk. Determined to find them, he showed up at the Mission Sanitary Landfill the next morning and asked if he could search through the massive compost pile.

At first, even landfill staff thought the effort was a long shot.

“My brain was trying to figure out a way to tell him to go buy his wife new wedding rings,” said contractor Denny Webster. Still, he admired Steve’s determination and helped by using an excavator to isolate smaller piles.

Sifting through the mess, Steve began to recognize his household waste—including the popcorn bag. Then, astonishingly, he spotted the rings, slimy with butter but intact.

“She basically broke down crying, cried all the way home,” Steve said of his wife’s reaction to the good news.

Jeannine now jokes their 26-year marriage is even stronger.

“Well, yes, because I know how much he loves me, that he’s willing to go through a rotten, stinky compost pile,” she said with a laugh.