This Is What Happens to The Things You Surrender at TSA

Every day, a steady stream of items gets left behind at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in airports across the world, from pocket knives to headphones to peanut butter and oversized bottles of perfume. Where do these items go once you leave them behind? One of three places: the trash, the lost and found, or state-run auctions. It all depends on whether you forgot the item or voluntarily abandoned the item. 

Here’s what happens to the items that are surrendered at TSA.

Two Different Paths 

If you accidentally leave behind a non-prohibited item like headphones or a phone charger, TSA makes every effort to reunite you with it. In fact, you may have even heard announcements made on the loudspeaker at the airport. 

“Lost and found items are retained by TSA for a minimum of 30 days,” a TSA spokesperson said to Travel + Leisure. After that window, if the items go unclaimed, they may be destroyed, turned over to state surplus agencies, or sold as excess property. 

However, if you voluntarily abandon a prohibited item at the checkpoint, there is no 30-day grace period.

To Surrender or Not to Surrender

Ever forget a Swiss Army Knife or a bottle of pepper spray in a bag, only to have it pulled aside by a TSA officer? Contrary to what many people believe, these items aren’t actually confiscated.

“Transportation Security Officers at airport checkpoints do not confiscate prohibited items,” a TSA spokesperson said. “Passengers have a choice when they present at a checkpoint with a prohibited item.”

These are the choices that travelers have at TSA checkpoints when carrying a prohibited item:

• Hand the item to a family member or friend who is not traveling and can keep it safe for you.
• Return it to your vehicle.
• Go to the airline ticket counter to put it into your checked baggage.
• Voluntarily abandon it at the checkpoint.

When you’re running late for a flight, though, anything but the last option can feel unrealistic. Once the items are abandoned, as the TSA spokesperson explains, some items (such as knives and tools) are turned over to a state agency, while others (such as prohibited liquids, aerosols, and gels) are disposed of immediately.

Where Abandoned Items End Up

“TSA typically turns over voluntarily abandoned property to state surplus agencies,” says the spokesperson. “TSA does not directly offer items for sale or auction.”

These agencies then sell the items—usually in bulk lots—through online auction sites like GovDeals. According to the site’s listings, you could buy six pounds of multitools or 12 pounds of reading glasses. There are collections of everything from headphones to watches and jewelry. 

According to TSA, the most common prohibited items at checkpoints include pocket knives, corkscrews with a blade (the kind designed for cutting foil on wine bottles). Oversized liquids, gels, and aerosols also top the list of voluntarily abandoned items, but may not necessarily be sold afterwards.

The Firearms Problem

There is one category of voluntarily abandoned items with far more serious consequences: firearms. Although you can legally travel with firearms, they must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case in checked baggage, and declared to the airline at check-in. You absolutely cannot travel with them in your hand luggage.

In 2023, the TSA intercepted 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints nationwide, approximately 93 percent of which were loaded, according to the agency’s official reports.

When a firearm is found, TSA officers are required to immediately contact local law enforcement, who then remove both the passenger and the weapon from the checkpoint. Depending on local laws, the passenger can be cited or even arrested. On top of that, may be subject to penalties of up to $15,000, TSA PreCheck eligibility could be revoked for at least 5 years, and you may be required to undergo enhanced screening in the future.