To remind you that black sacks are best used for rubbish?

[CatThiefKeith]

I've spent the day trying to sort out an elderly lady left with virtually no clothes to wear because due to an unfortunate series of events her clean washed clothes ended up in a bin lorry.

And while sorting her out I've come across 4 more people that have lost precious items in similar circumstances.

Can anyone top 3/4 of their clothing being thrown out with the rubbish? It might make her feel better if she knows she's not the only one!

This has happened to me,not with clothes though. A few years ago,I was gong to stay with my late DM for a few days. My DD and her DH were going away too and were going to give me a lift to my DM's before they went. I took my 'special' pillow,one of those V-shaped ones,as I had neck problems at the time,and found it difficult to sleep without it. I put it in a black bag and tied the top,and you've guessed it. My DD took it on the way ou to the car and threw it in the wheelie bin thinking it was rubbish. It wasn't until I got to my DM's and unloaded my bags from the boot that I realised it was missing. I was rather upset,but annoyed with myself more than my DD as I realised I shouldn't have put it in a black bag. I couldn't make the same mistake now as our council provides refuse bags that are purple.

Moving house so was getting everything in boxes and bags.

Put all of my and dh's shoes in a black bag as it was all that was left.

Got to the new house and unpacked everything....shoes are missing.

It had been thrown out with all the black bags for rubbish

I went out with just purse and phone, came back after buying a small amount of shopping and used the plastic bag for rubbish straight away... Guess where I'd left my phone.

BTW Lidl make very strong white binbags (pink drawstring) which I use for "clean" jobs.

Talking of things accidentally thrown away,I chucked my door keys in the wheelie bin along with a bag of rubbish a few years ago. They got caught on the bag as I lobbed it and they went in before I could stop them. The bin had been emptied the previous day so fell straight to the bottom. There was no way on earth I could clamber in and get them but thankfully my NDN's 9 year old son was playing nearby so I beckoned him over and said I'd give him a pound if he climbed in to get them. Which he did,with no trouble at all! On another occasion,about 2 years ago,my DP threw a bag containing a brand new top that I was returning to the shop. I have no idea to this day why he threw it in the bin in the street outside my block of flats. He said he saw it sitting on the floor by the front door and thought it was rubbish,so had picked it up. Then while I was in the shop buying a newspaper,he chucked it in the bin,unknown to me. I had said to him on several previous occasions when he had nearly thrown something away thinking it was rubbish,not to bin anything unless I specifically asked him to. It was only when we were halfway to the shops on the bus that I asked him for the bag. What bag? he said. The bag with Bon Marche on it I said. It was then I realised what had happened,and with much cursing I had to get off the bus,get another one back and hope that he bin hadn't been emptied in the meantime. Thankfully for him it hadn't.

My nan lost all her photos when we moved similar to this. She was devastated-photos of my auntie who was killed age 22 in an accident, my grandad, her little brother who died age 2 from meningitis.

I lost my handbag to the bin men once. DS2 having a meltdown, I finally got him to school and realised that I'd left the bag by the bin... bin men must've thought it was rubbish too (the bag was awful)!

A friend bought a pair of new schools shoes for her DD. She then threw the left shoe of the old ones and the right one of the new shoes into a charity bag. Cue spending another £50 on new school shoes a day later

DH chucked his used scrubs after an afternoon in theatre into the hospital laundry basket and only realised after it had been collected that he'd left his very expensive and one of a kind wedding ring in the pocket.
He went down to the hospital laundry but almost cried when he saw how many laundry bins he had to look through (it's one of the biggest hospitals in the UK), his mate helped him look and they did find it after 2hrs!
He only told me afterwards when I was wondering why he was so late back.
He now has a special lanyard for it when he takes it off.

Not thrown away but a similar bag put in odd place in the flurry of unpacking/sorting.

I recently cleared the shed to make room for a bike (and clear out crap).
Right at the back behind the hen food bin and patio umbrella I found a plastic bag containing

Ice packs

Unopened bottle of water (still in date)

Pot of Bicarbonate of Soda (in date)

And a bag of sugar which looked like the local mice had been selling off by the gram to the local wildlife.

Must have been dragged down there with the beach stuff and crabbing lines after last years holiday.

Couple of years ago I managed to chuck 2 bin bags (giant ones!) containing almost all of that years Christmas presents. I was absolutely devastated!

The power of MN helping me find reduced price replacements (ad the MNer who by sheer luck had been sent a duplicate of a necklace she ordered with her children's initials on which were the exact same as my friends who's necklace was in the bag!) was fucking awesome

Not bin bag related, but this thread reminded me of when my ex failed to secure the hired van's doors before driving off, when moving house. He went round a roundabout, the doors flew open, and one box fell out - the box containing all my fragile ornaments, some of which were valuable family heirlooms, plus all my jewellery. A lorry went straight over it and crushed the lot.

I was 7.5m pregnant at the time and my BP went so high after this that I had to have a c section! Still not forgiven him...

First day of new job in a pub I'd worked in before. I walked into the kitchen and there was no one there. There was a black bin bag on the counter so, trying to be helpful, I chucked it in the big bin outside. It was full of the days seafood delivery.

Thankfully they appreciated my work ethic.

A pair of diamond earrings. Last week. I lost the back off one when I was out so took them both out and put them in my coat pocket and promptly forgot that's where I put them. I then had a wet paint disaster (leant against newly painted bannister) so binned the coat. Remembered about the ear-rings the day after bin collection. Gutted. Turned out to be an expensive week!

I put some teddy bears and other soft toys in the loft in a black binbag. Some months later, dh went up to do a bit of a clear out, and told me he was taking 'some bags of rubbish' to the tip. I didn't realise until too late, that he'd taken the bag of toys - that has my childhood teddy bear in it - to the tip.

I was so heartbroken he drove me to the tip, to see if we could get it back, but it was too late.

So sorry for all of you that have lost precious things.

Ironically I have just picked up a bag of clothes for her. Well I say bag - it's actually a black sack!

Cat oh the irony!! The black bag giveth and the black bag taketh away

I'm decanting it all into Aldi bags for life before I take it round!

Went to the shop at lunch time from work. Just had my card holder on me. Popped it in the bag instead of my usual pocket after paying. Go to Tesco 3 hours later to find it missing. Luckily I figured out what I had done the security guard grabbed the M&S bag full of my sandwhich leftovers and cards out of the rubbish before they got emptied into the big bins and taken away that evening.

Was flying to France. Had been travelling quite a lot at the time. Emptied out my flight back that had a few magazines in from last time into the green wheelie bin. Next day went to pack flight bag. Where is passport? Not in usual pocket in bag or draw? I eventually found it wedged between the pages of a magazine in the green bin... about an hour before they would have taken it if I hadn't twigged.