But this bottle, which would fetch a nickel at the recycling center, is worth everything to a grieving mother.
Surrounded by friends in the mountains of Switzerland, these video clips would end up capturing the last few hours of Sidonie Fery's life.
"She felt very free there. She was happy and free and she had her own identity," said Mimi Fery, Sidonie's mother.
But Mimi told Eyewitness News, that evening in April of 2010, she got a call from the boarding school Sidonie was attending that her only child had accidentally fallen off a cliff, and the 18 year old was dead.
"Every time I do something, I wonder what would she say," Fery said.
That wonderment is now wrapped with astonishment all because of a bottle and what's inside. Mimi's convinced it is a sign from Sidonie, she says it's a message of peace and hope.
"I'm gone mom, and I know you're sad, but I'm here," Fery said.
Inside, is a faded message from Sidonie, that Mimi believes her daughter wrote when she was just 10 years old.
At that time, Sidonie was with friend in Patchogue, and the playful little girl tossed the bottle in the water.
"Be excellent to yourself dude, if you get this call this number," Fery said.
It's a quote from Sidonie's favorite movie, "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", which ironically is a nod to time travel.
It ends up that this past December, workers were cleaning up after Sandy and found the bottle in the sand. They called the number and returned the bottle to Mimi.
"I can't describe it, it's something amazing when you recognize your daughter's writing, it's something else, and a daughter who's no longer here," Fery said.
A bottle that means so much to so many people, including Sidonie's best friend, who was at that final gathering.
"It's an amazing way to remind us she's still around," said Ximena Delacamara, Sidonie's friend.
(Some information from the Associated Press)
