S'pore garbage disposal firm boss & workers go through rubbish heap to find woman's lost iPhone

The boss had said, "I know how it feels to lose a phone."

Matthias Ang | August 23, 2022, 02:07 PM

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A woman in Singapore has taken to social media to thank the boss and workers of a garbage disposal company here for going the extra mile to help find her friend's lost iPhone from the garbage in a tipper truck.

Speaking to Mothership, Charmaine Cheong said her friend, Sharrel, had lost her phone at the open-air cinema, Films at the Fort, at Fort Canning Hill, on Aug. 13.

Unable to find her phone while packing up

Cheong was with her boyfriend and Sharrel at the venue to catch a movie at 7pm.

After the movie ended some time around 10pm or 11pm, Cheong that her friend was unable to find her phone while they were packing up their picnic mats.

Cheong added that the venue's security team, which she believed to be SRS security, according to their uniforms, helped in the search.

However, when they were unable to find the phone, the security team took down Cheong's number and said they would do an additional search the next day at 6am, when the cleaning company arrived.

Cheong highlighted that they were subsequently informed on Aug. 14 by the security team that they could not find Sharrel's phone.

Phone was located at a waste disposal area beside the Jurong River

Through the use of the Apple Find my iPhone service, Sharrel then discovered that her phone had ended up at an industrial park along Jalan Papan, just beside Jurong River.

Source: Screenshot from Google Maps

Cheong added that when the three of them went down to search for Sharrel's phone, they realised that it was located within a waste disposal area.

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

In addition, the Find My iPhone service led them to an open field within the disposal area.

Cheong added that at one point, her friend Sharrel considered digging into the ground, on the off-chance that the phone might have been buried.

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

Worker directs them to the company that cleared rubbish from Fort Canning Park

Out of desperation, the three of them decided to ask around about the waste disposal companies that cleared the rubbish at Fort Canning Park in the morning.

A worker there whom they spoke to then directed them to Cleanis Tee Disposal Services, the company that he believed had cleared the rubbish at Fort Canning Park.

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

A person, believed to be the boss of the waste disposal company, then came out to speak to the trio.

Photo by Charmaine Cheong

The boss confirmed that one of their trucks had carried the rubbish from Fort Canning Park.

He then asked all four of his workers to help him sift through the garbage for the phone, Cheong highlighted.

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

The phone was eventually found after about 20 minutes of digging through the refuse.

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

Cheong said they were "really, really thankful" to the boss and the workers for taking the effort to search through the truck.

"In his words, [the boss] said, 'I know how it feels to lose a phone,'" Cheong told Mothership.

The workers were tipped with cash as a reward for their efforts, Cheong said.

She wrote further in the caption in the video:

"Today's adventure has taught me so much. Kindness shouldn't be a monthly goal, but a daily reminder. I hope this story inspires everyone to remember the good in everyone - & to treat our fellow migrant workers with respect and love."

Screenshot from video by Charmaine Cheong

Top collage of screenshots from video by Charmaine Cheong