Mother spots a man rifling through her rubbish for recyclable cans – and their reaction will warm your heart
- A Canberra woman found a man going through her recycling bin two weeks ago
- She gave him a container with leftover food to take while he looked for cans
- On Wednesday he returned the container to her filled with lollies for her kids
A mother who found a man rummaging through her recycling bin to collect cans for cash was overwhelmed by his reaction to her confronting him.
The Canberra woman found the man looking through her recycling bin to collect cans on July 2.
In the ACT, recycling centres pay 10 cents for every returned can.
The woman, taking pity on the man, brought him a container holding some of her family's leftover dinner from the night before.
A Canberra woman found a man going through her recycling bin two weeks ago and gave him a container of food. He returned the container this week filled with lollies for her children
The man returned on Wednesday to give the woman the container back - and he had filled it to the brim with treats for her children.
'It takes very little effort to be kind to one another and not judge,' she said on social media.
'We now keep our cans separate to make it easy for him when he comes to recycle.'
Share this article
She said she couldn't thank him enough for the chocolates, considering the cost of the items such as Mars bars and Smarties packets.
'I hope he had the same feeling I had when I gave him the container, that feeling of spreading kindness,' she said.
The generosity of both parties was appreciated online.
'Little acts of kindness will be returned to you a thousandfold. It warms my heart on this cold Canberra morning,' one person said.
The woman said she now keeps her cans separate to her recycling bin to make it easier for him (stock image)
Another said: 'That's great - I have noticed some people get very aggrieved over anyone opening their bin.
'My bin often has extra stuff in it in the morning but it's 3/4 empty so what does it matter if someone else uses the empty space?'
A third said: 'What a lovely gesture, he probably needed the money more than your kids needed lollies, it just goes to show kindness is always repaid!'
The woman said she didn't post the gesture to get accolades for herself but to acknowledge the man's generosity and to give others an idea about how to handle their recycling.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
