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Man's Recycling Mistake Nearly Gave New Meaning To 'Going Green'

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin. If you work at a recycling facility, you're probably used to seeing valuable stuff thrown away. But what about an old shoe box filled with $23,000 in cash? Such a box was found at a facility in California. And it apparently belongs to a man who didn't need a shoe box anymore until he realized he'd put his life savings in there. Employees spotted the box and recovered all but $320 for a man for whom taking out the trash will likely never be a casual chore again. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Prior to moving into the host position in the fall of 2012, Martin started as National Security Correspondent for NPR in May 2010. In that position she covered both defense and intelligence issues. She traveled regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Secretary of Defense, reporting on the US wars and the effectiveness of the Pentagon's counterinsurgency strategy. Martin also reported extensively on the changing demographic of the US military – from the debate over whether to allow women to fight in combat units – to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Her reporting on how the military is changing also took her to a US Air Force base in New Mexico where the military for a rare look at how the military trains drone pilots.
Rachel Martin
Rachel Martin is the host of Wild Card.