Steve Van Ysseldyk faced a daunting challenge last week when his wife, Jeannine, lost her wedding rings in a compost pile. The rings went missing after Jeannine cleaned up a bag of movie theater popcorn that had spilled on their lawn.

After reviewing security footage, Van Ysseldyk confirmed that Jeannine had her rings on Wednesday. The couple went to a movie that night, but the next day, they discovered the rings were missing. A closer look at their home security camera revealed that the rings likely disappeared when Jeannine tossed the popcorn bag into their compost bin.

With garbage day having passed, the couple realized the rings were likely on their way to the City of Mission landfill on Dewdney Trunk Road. Determined to recover the irreplaceable items, Van Ysseldyk went to the landfill the following morning, which was an unusually wet summer Friday.

At the landfill, he met Denny Webster, a subcontractor who manages organic waste. Van Ysseldyk described Webster's initial reaction as one of disbelief. However, Webster was willing to help. "I showed (my wife) a picture of the pile when I got there and she said, ‘You are not going to find them,’" Van Ysseldyk recalled.

Webster began to sift through the compost, while Van Ysseldyk used a shovel he had brought. After about 30 minutes, Van Ysseldyk found the first ring, which was the anniversary band. However, the solitaire was still missing.

Van Ysseldyk asked Webster where he had found the ring, and Webster pointed to a specific area. The search continued, and within an hour, Van Ysseldyk found the second ring. "I’m baffled that I found them," he said. "A few things went our way."

Webster noted that he had cleared the yard a day earlier, reducing the compost pile from potentially 50 dump truck loads to just three. He said, "The only reason I gave him the time of day is because he had a good description of what was in his compost bag — that being a popcorn bag and a Tim Hortons Timbits box. At least then I thought we might have a chance."

As they worked together, Webster used an excavator to carefully pull apart the pile while Van Ysseldyk sifted through the "stinky, gross, wet compost." After about 45 minutes, Webster found the popcorn bag, which led them closer to the rings.

Webster, who often sees people searching for lost items at the dump, said this was the first time someone had successfully recovered something so precious. "It’s got to go into one of those compaction trucks, get squished with everybody else’s stuff, and it’s just juicy, gross material," he explained.

Van Ysseldyk offered Webster a couple of hundred dollars for his help, but Webster initially refused. After some negotiation, Van Ysseldyk convinced him to accept half.

Jeannine, who was at a nearby store looking for a metal detector, was brought to tears when she learned the rings had been found. "She says she cried all the way home," Van Ysseldyk said.

Upon returning home with the rings, Van Ysseldyk received a hero's welcome, despite being a bit dirty from the search. "I was a little stinky, but nothing that a wash and a shower can’t fix," he said.