Disposal of found property is a necessary, but often regrettable step in the Lost and Found process. Unfortunately, not all found property gets returned back to their owner, so after a certain amount of time it needs to go.
Since we’ve had far too much experience at this then we like, and just released a new feature to help with the process, we thought a quick guide could help all the lost and found teams out there.
Before diving elbows deep into the leftover stuff, you want to prepare for disposal. Lost and Found property can be anything, which means sharp, smelly, oozy, hazardous, or occasionally dangerous. We highly suggest getting some supplies together before getting started, like:
We have found it most helpful to divide the work by the item categories–similar items tend to have similar outcomes. Plus, you can get into a nice shredding rhythm.
Phones are precious consumer devices, particularly for the data on the device, along with the purchase price. While a large majority get reunited with owners, the few remaining can pose a tricky disposal process.
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Here at Liff Happens, we take data security seriously, so we defer to the experts–Newaya is a fantastic team out of Colorado that processes, wipes, and resells or recycles the devices for us. Plus, they’re also software developers building a mobile device processing platform, so we’re big fans.
While phones represent a large portion of found property, a plethora of electronic items often show up in the lost and found; watches, laptops, power banks, Fitbits, etc. Personal data is an essential consideration in the disposal process, along with reducing electronic waste.
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Wallets, and often purses, have a very high rate of return, especially if you’re using the ID Scan and Postcard features from the Liff App. In Lost and Found, container items are wildcards and can hold a wide variety of stuff–proceed with caution!
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There tend to be slightly more ID Cards than wallets, but you should have returned most of them at this point (cough cough Postcards). Disposal here requires different actions depending on the type of identification cards.
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Any payment card that has been out of your hands for an extended period should be canceled and reissued. It’s the best security practice; banks and card issuers typically do it for free, so customers don’t often come back. For the most part, shredding is an easy option until you get to the metal cards.
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Bags are the ultimate wildcards. They can contain anything, and when disposing of lost and found, it could be anything. As you sort through the items, be on the lookout for personally identifiable info that might be hidden in pockets. Proceed with caution.
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Your local recycler can easily handle the metal, but the key Fobs can often be reused, so we try to find partners that can recover as much as possible. They’re… ok.
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Is it real, is it fake? Personally, we have very little interest in finding out. For the most part, these get bundled up and donated in mass. Let them figure it out.
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Eyewear can arrive a bit battered, they’ve got a story to tell, and if it’s around for a day, they’ll likely be around for months–donate them to local organizations.
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Other is your catch-all category that can be anything, from clothing to stuffed animals to random bits of string. You’re on your own for this one.
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For the most part, anything of actual value gets returned. But out of the crowded lost and found options, you’ll find we’re unique in our view that the remaining property is a product failure, so we expressly do not profit from the disposal process.
Suitable items are donated locally during disposal, while any recovered value is donated annually to a chosen charity.
We’d love to get your thoughts on the tool we built, how we go about it, and how we’re trying to do less of it in the future. Drop a note below and we’ll set it up!