Retainers are orthodontic appliances that help maintain a straight smile.
They are designed to be discrete, so they’re easy to miss, especially when they aren’t in your mouth. Since they need to be removed while eating, accidental retainer disposal is a tale too often told. Unfortunately, retainers can costs upwards of $600 for a replacement set.
If it weren’t for the intervening of a dumpster diving janitor, this would have been the fate of a 4th grade student, Rowan, who mistakenly threw away her brand new retainer after lunch on baked bean and chicken sandwich day.
After eating lunch, Rowan headed to recess where she realized she must have thrown away her retainer. She alerted Rusty Mailliard, a janitor at Oakdale Elementary school in Omaha, who dove into the school dumpsters to retrieve the dental appliance.
Rowan and her mother are grateful to Rusty’s efforts and are glad he was there to save the day.
At Roll-Off Dumpster Direct, we love a good dumpster diving story! Check out our past dumpster diving post about a Tufts University student who runs a free restaurant using food he salvages from dumpsters.