Thanks to the sharp eyes of Jenny Barclay, who has worked for Recycle South, in Invercargill, for 30 years, the cash was saved from destruction.
Recycle South business and strategy manager Emma Hart said
Ms Barclay could not explain what made her pick the card off the fast-moving conveyor and open it.
It was addressed to "Nanny Lord" and was a gift from her grandchildren, prompting an effort to track her down.
"It’s pretty easy for people to pick up piles of their mail and paper and [throw them out] without checking what’s in there," Ms Hart said.
Recycle South people and pastoral care manager Shelley Clark — known for her knack of reuniting lost items with their owners — turned to social media with just a few clues at her disposal — the grandchildren’s first names and Mrs Lord’s last name.
"The first person I found was married to the man’s name on the card," she said.
Within hours, Ms Clark had confirmed the identities of the four children listed in the message.
"Nanny Lord was really appreciative that her Christmas gift had been intercepted before hitting the landfill."
Recycle South manager Chris Montgomery said a find like this was unusual but phone calls from people desperate to find lost valuable items were common.
"It’s amazing how many people ring up going ‘I’ve lost a ring, or I’ve lost a key’ ... there’s just no way of being able to see it to recover it."
Oddities including wallets and adult toys were often seen on the conveyor.
"It’s pretty rare if you lose something that it’s going to be found because of the processing [volume] — it’s like finding a needle in a haystack," Mr Montgomery said.
Mrs Lord could not be reached for comment, but Ms Clark, who had personally returned the money to her, said Ms Barclay had been given a small gift to thank her for her honesty.
