stifle

So it seems that the potentially explosive items confiscated at LHR (yes they confiscate things over here, none of this voluntary surrender) are magically neutralized and no longer dangerous once dropped in that big bin, so they can be handed over to charity.

More here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-21881133

Wally Bird

It's actually a Cunning Plan to get rid of the homeless by making them use toxins during ablutions @:-).

Of course you need to get them to do ablutions first.

Kidding.

Pup7

I love this: Ms Takhar said: "How silly do you feel when you mistakenly pack your favourite shampoo and then have to hand it in at airport security?

"At least you now know that the people here will definitely put them to good use."

OMG. How silly does LHR feel taking this supposedly dangerous liquid from a - more than likely - otherwise law-abiding, rule-following pax and then giving it to a homeless person?? I'm not even sure where to start with that...

goalie

When I have an S&B* moment and forget that I have a "dangerous amount" of a liquid, gel or aerosol, I absolutely refuse to simply dump the offending container of said dangerous liquid, gel or aerosol into the big neutralizing barrel and I either pour it out into the barrel, squeeze it out into the barrel or spray it out into the barrel as if I can't have it, nobody can have it as after all, it's dangerous

*Senior and Bald

SeriouslyLost

And yet, magically, they don't shut down the airport when people do that. That big bin of Safety must be *really* powerfully magical.

chollie

I'm surprised Hanford hasn't replaced their leaking nuclear waste tanks with patented 'TSA Neutralizer Barrels'.

TheGolfWidow

Thank goodness no one ever "abandons" items at the checkpoint that are actually dangerous. Or, am I completely misreading this situation and homeless people enjoy showering with the contents of a bahm-making kit?

WillCAD

What a wonderful new policy. It introduces an insidious new threat vector for terrorists - take poisonous liquids to the airport, let them be confiscated, sit back and watch as homeless people in London drop dead from the poison. It's a virtually untraceable vector, and will garner BIG headlines worldwide as the stupidity of liquids restrictions at the airport come back to bite London in the butt.

I am actually a little surprised that such a policy was put into place in the UK before the US. But give it time; I'm sure some Dudley Do-Rights will suggest it at LGA or LAX pretty soon.

CPT Trips

It takes less of my time to simply remove the cap and allow them to confiscate the opened container.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

Ah yes, but then the container goes into the waste bin. If asked why I am dumping the the liquid I just smile and tell them that I am environmentally aware and will recycle or reuse the container.

chollie

IIRC, someone tried to do this once in CA, but it got shot down. Reasonable minds pointed out that the shampoos/lotions/etc. were confiscated because there was a very real and substantial risk that they contained hazardous materials. If TSA wasn't willing to test and clear the liquids, they were too dangerous to turn over to homeless shelters.

No one ever answered why TSA doesn't turn over all the other confiscated items to the Salvation Army or some other charitable organization to sell. Why does TSA get to keep the proceeds of the thousands of micro-tools and 3-inch Swiss Army knives?

WillCAD

With a yearly budget of something like $8 billion, TSA obviously needs the money from those auctioned items far more than some fly-by-night charity like the Salvation Army.

Besides, TSA has a lot of unexpected expenses this year - replacing all of those BSX machines that are getting warehoused, $50 million in uniform replacement, expanding the VIPR program and buying new Duke Nukem detectors to search for nuclear weapons on buses and subways, and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-training all of those TSOs who want to join the ranks of the Passenger Support Specialists to learn the rules that all TSOs are, duh, supposed to have been taught in their most basic training to begin with.

We JUST missed one of those auctions a few days ago:
http://gizmodo.com/5991069/pennsylva...ives-for-cheap

chollie

I don't like government seizure - it gives the organization doing the seizure huge $$ incentives.

The first few years of TSA, it was quite common to see TSOs setting particularly choice seized items (even sealed water and soda bottles) aside for 'personal' disposal.

IME, it's rare to find a TSO who actually offers you the option of leaving the line to dispose of the item instead of immediately tossing it. On occasion, when I've had the time, I've chosen to leave the line and go to the toilet and throw my item away there. I'd rather it go to a landfill than into the pocket of a TSO or the coffers of the agency.

stifle

The TSA does not seize or confiscate items, but it may require passengers to choose between surrendering them or not proceeding to the sterile area.

WindOfFreedom

Same thing.