For the last three months, banned items confiscated from passengers at security checkpoints at Nice Airport have been handed over to the charity Restos du Coeur rather than being binned as waste.

Since 2006, airline passengers attempting to go through security with containers holding liquid of more than 100 millilitres have been confiscated, whether it be water, perfumes, toiletries or alcohol, as well as certain foodstuffs and items such as knives and aerosol cans. This leads to tons of perfectly good, brand new products being put into landfills or otherwise destroyed, a waste by any standard.

In an attempt to stop this practice, Nice Airport has agreed with charity Restos du Coeur to donate suitable unused items. Teams from the charity come to the airport twice a week to collect between 70 and 100 kilos of products which are then redistributed.

“In normal years, Terminal 2 alone removes 120,000 items and groceries from baggage. Half could be donated to charity instead of being destroyed.” Aymeric Staub, an airport spokesman for the Cote d’Azur, said.

The system is only currently up and running in Terminal 2, though negotiations are underway with the security company who manages Terminal 1 to incorporate the practice also. If an agreement is settled on, it is estimated that the collection volume would double.

This redistribution system is the first for France airports, though if successful, it is hoped that it will catch on in other places as well.

Photo source: Nice Côte d’Azur Airport