Nearly $1 Million Is Left In Airport TSA Bins Every Year

It can be an absolute hassle to stand through the long waits in Airport Security but once you’ve gotten through and it’s time to head to your gate, you might want to think twice about double-checking your bins. If you’ve ever travelled on a place in your life, you know that you must scan your carry-on baggage through TSA before hopping on your flight, removing your laptop from its case and, more often than not, placing your shoes and belts in a separate bin. Lines can be long and if you’re in a rush, you might not be paying too much attention to what you’re actually retrieving because as reported by Vox, nearly $1 million is left in TSA bins on a yearly basis.

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One of the most unusual revenue sources for TSA has been the loose change left behind in airports across the nation. The amount of money being left behind keeps on growing too as folks get more and more reckless with their money. In 2012, the TSA had collected just over $500K in loose change and last year, that number grew to $960K. With everybody being asked to empty their pockets and scatter their belongings in bins when they walk through the scans, it can be easy to leave behind some change. Especially when it’s less than a dollar, you might actually consciously leave the coins on the table.

The money left behind is not exclusively lower-amount coins though because when wallets go unclaimed, TSA gets hold of some big bills. If you’re curious about which airports rack up the most change, larger cities tend to be higher on the list. JFK and LAX were nearly tied at the top with $70K whereas Reno’s airport left behind less than $20.