SINGAPORE, Oct 28 — A man in Singapore thought he’d waved goodbye to his brand-new iPhone 16 Pro Max forever after it took an unexpected trip down the rubbish chute last week.
Woon Ban Chee, 22, was clearing out his flat in the Teck Whye neighbourhood on October 18 when he accidentally threw out his S$2,900 (RM9,560) phone along with the trash.
“I only realised it a few minutes later,” Woon told Singapore website AsiaOne today.
“I was like, ‘Did I just throw my phone away?’”
Having recently left his waiter job to care for his sick mother, Woon was in a panic, quickly reaching out to the Chua Chu Kang Town Council and the waste disposal crew for help.
“I panicked the whole night,” he was quoted as saying.
“I went to the Apple Store on Orchard Road to see if I can get a replacement. But they didn’t allow me to get a new one.”
His luck turned when sharp-eyed workers at the e-waste recycling firm Alba found his phone while sifting through the rubbish at their Tuas plant.
“[There were] no scratches and dents. The case was very smelly, so I threw it away. Everything else is normal,” he said.
“I now clean my phone with alcohol wipes every day. It’s a lesson learnt.”
Though he offered the waste disposal crew “anything” as a thank-you, they politely declined.
“S$2,900 could be gone just like that and I’m so happy they found it in time,” he added.
“I’m sharing my experience to thank them.”
