What's Being Done With Confiscated Liquids?

[brahmburgers]

A friend who works at a Swiss airport says all the liquids are dumped and destroyed.

Slightly different: but in the States, there's a giant warehouse that sells stuff that's been confiscated or unclaimed from U.S. airports: there are thousands of interesting things: knives, backpacks, packaged foods, you name it.

If airports are still confiscating hundreds of tons of liquid items, including lotions and sealed things - common sense would say 99.999999% of all that stuff is non lethal / non-explosive, and therefore has some value and shouldn't be trashed.

Is it being recycled / re-sold, and if not, why not?

I can understand retailers not minding, because they simply sell more of the stuff. Similarly, it's why retailers don't want Thais to have thrift stores, garage sales, bulletin boards, classified ads, yard sales or any other venues that can sell 2nd had things. Whether or not it's a campaign by retailers, it's highly successful, as Thais hardly have any venues for buying/selling 2nd hand stuff. ...which is a big reason why lots of poor kids don't go to school (too expensive) , but I'm getting off topic.

......just wondering about the liquids at airports, though.... Even though a lot of that sutff is essentially useless vanity cr@p (like skin whitener creams) it's still a drag to have so much stuff trashed every day.

[mrtoad]

I can't imagine that it is being destroyed here. Sure some of the staff at Swampy are enjoying their new perk.

[flightcrew1]

Liquids are supposed to be destroyed. I gather some airport from what I have seen do this but here in Bangkok when checking in at the crew lounge I've seen the containers being carried away very delicately as not to break the items! So who knows!

[britmaveric]

Taken home I suspect!!

[onzestan]

Who cares ?

onzestan

[fxm88]

"Dangerous banned liquids given to homeless"

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/08/21...en-to-homeless/

[PattayaParent]

Thais hardly have any venues for buying/selling 2nd hand stuff. ...which is a big reason why lots of poor kids don't go to school (too expensive) , but I'm getting off topic.

Thai kids can't go to school 'cos they can't buy/sell second hand stuff???

Try coming to Pattaya you fall over half a dozen second hand shops every hundred metres, and the schools are full of kids

[brahmburgers]

Thais hardly have any venues for buying/selling 2nd hand stuff. ...which is a big reason why lots of poor kids don't go to school (too expensive) , but I'm getting off topic.

Thai kids can't go to school 'cos they can't buy/sell second hand stuff???

Try coming to Pattaya you fall over half a dozen second hand shops every hundred metres, and the schools are full of kids

I can understand if your world is Pattaya, then you're insulating yourself from 99% of the rest of reality.

There's a lot more happening in Thailand than Pattaya. Thousands of kids don't go to school because there are requirements (partly the schools, partly social mandates) that ALL students have BRAND NEW CLOTHES, BACKPACKS, BOOKS, SHOES, ETC.

It's also the kids' decision, because they don't want to be ridiculed by their peers and teachers for having inferior clothes and books.

Parents can't afford all that brand new stuff, so kids are simply kept at home. Plus it's advantagous to many parents to have little kids helping with the family biz. There are still many parents who don't grasp the importance of school for their kids. A lot of those unschooled kids wind up in places like Pattaya - where they drop their drawers and make big bucks. So, from many Pattaya club crawlers' perspective, that's a big PLUS. But the consequences for the kids are often dire - as witnessed by the abysmal living standards for everyone who resides in places like Pattaya (gang beatings by katoy, etc).

Some of us would like to see a modicum of sanity infused in the back-to-school equation. Such as:

using last year's books and/or adapting last year's clothing and shoes - even if handed down from older siblings.

But retailers have such an iron grip on Thai peoples' thinking, that only BRAND NEW EVERYTHING will suffice - each year.

There's also the Thai peoples' silly notions about 2nd hand stuff (has other peoples' vibes, ghosts, etc). Such ridiculous superstitious ideas are embedded in the Thai psyche all the way up to the buffoon that's in the PM's seat (....and the other maha-Buffon, Thaksin, who will be PM again, guaranteed).

The losers in all this are the poor kids.

[raro]

as witnessed by the abysmal living standards for everyone who resides in places like Pattaya

this does certainly not include me. Sorry for being off-topic, but I could not let go this one-dimensional Pattaya bashing.

[iang]

A few months ago at Suvarnabhuni, I saw as usual, security personnel by a gate entrance checking for liquids - a man & a woman. The man picked a box looking like duty free cosmetics out of plastic sack & showed the woman. the woman looked at the box & eventually placed it on a table. She then walked over to nearby cart which had a fabric bag in it. She pulled a coat out of the bag & walked back over to the table & placed it on top, covering the cosmetic box. Then she picked up the coat, together with the cosmetic box now hidden underneath & placed both items back in her bag in the cart. Seemingly passengers confiscated cosmetics are now presumably stolen! At the time, I sent an email, reporting the date, time, departure gate, flight number etc, along with a report on the incident to the Airports Authority of Thailand. After a week of not hearing anything, I re-sent the email & guess what - 'til this day, I've never received even an acknowledgement back from AOT!

[mrtoad]

A few months ago at Suvarnabhuni, I saw as usual, security personnel by a gate entrance checking for liquids - a man & a woman. The man picked a box looking like duty free cosmetics out of plastic sack & showed the woman. the woman looked at the box & eventually placed it on a table. She then walked over to nearby cart which had a fabric bag in it. She pulled a coat out of the bag & walked back over to the table & placed it on top, covering the cosmetic box. Then she picked up the coat, together with the cosmetic box now hidden underneath & placed both items back in her bag in the cart. Seemingly passengers confiscated cosmetics are now presumably stolen! At the time, I sent an email, reporting the date, time, departure gate, flight number etc, along with a report on the incident to the Airports Authority of Thailand. After a week of not hearing anything, I re-sent the email & guess what - 'til this day, I've never received even an acknowledgement back from AOT!

Are you suprised? They are normally complicit in any of the scams and bad practices at the airport.

[ukrules]

Surely there will be a sizable amount of liquid explosive concealed amongst these confiscated items that the terrorists have failed to smuggle onto the planes.

I would imagine that all of this stuff is taken away for analysis and some meaningful statistics produced to see if their policies are either absolute bullshit or working as intended.

[hanno]

I was told that they are poured away as they could contain all sorts of things (not necessary explosives, but toxic liquids) and this could be a huge liability question for the airports.

[libya 115]

I was told that they are poured away as they could contain all sorts of things (not necessary explosives, but toxic liquids) and this could be a huge liability question for the airports.

Twelve year old single malt whiskey can sometimes visually resemble the urine of a slightly dehydrated human.

I would hope that all liquids seized are treated as suspect and disposed of in a suitable way.

[Antimony]

Last year a security staff took my Lactacyd feminine wash - it was less than 100 mL & it was in a proper ziploc, but whatever, I was in a hurry. I hope at least she used it, rather than throw it away.

[scyriacus]

Taken home I suspect!!

some are suspicious, some know nothing. i know from my experience that you can always check in those liquids with your luggage to avoid 'confiscation'. they are allowed on the flight, just not in the cabin........

[brahmburgers]

Taken home I suspect!!

some are suspicious, some know nothing. i know from my experience that you can always check in those liquids with your luggage to avoid 'confiscation'. they are allowed on the flight, just not in the cabin........

very useful info. I bet a lot of folks don't know that - non-dangerous liquids are allowed in luggage that goes in to the plane's hold. .....same for knives.

[AlKing]

Whenever they try to take anything from me, I empty it on the spot, so that they cannot take it home or use or re-sales. In a couple of occasions, I actually pee into some empty whiskey bottle and took it to the airport. Whoever drank it after they have confiscated it must have a mouth full of after taste.

Any solid can also made itno an explosive. Even a piece of chewing gum (watch mission impossible?). Next time we have to stripe nake (and remain naked) to board a plan.