Recycling Lost Property A New Venture

Exciting news! Here at Lost & Found Courier Services not only are we your one stop courier company.  Providing a specialised service for items that have been left behind at London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted Airports.  Not to mention Hotels and train Stations.  We are now on the verge of a major new venture!

We pride ourselves on our ability to reunite customers with their most treasured possessions. Offering a sameday dedicated service for the most valued or important items within the UK.  We also offer a shipping service reaching all across the globe wherever possible.

But what about those items that stay locked away in the lost property departments?  The mobile phone that cannot be traced back to the rightful owner?  The tablet or iPad unwanted by the owner and therefore unclaimed? Other items that for one reason or another remain the responsibility of service providers leaving a stockpile of devices cluttering up the system.

Each service provider has the legal obligation to show due care and attention for each item that has been either left behind or inadvertently lost while using their services. Most airlines and train stations will allow a certain amount of time for an item to be reclaimed by the rightful owner.  This can be anything up to 3 months after which any unclaimed item becomes the rightful possession of the airline etc.

Here lies the next hurdle and challenge. A high percentage of unclaimed items will be electronic devices of one form and another and therefore will contain highly sensitive information.  Such as personal details, phone numbers and in some cases bank details.  The service providers are now left with another unwanted legal burden.  To erase all the personal data from each device professionally, this will of course take time and incur a cost.  As a high majority of Lost Property departments are provided on a gratuitous basis, this will be an unwanted expense.

For sometime we have been looking into the necessary procedures, to be able to offer recycling of unclaimed items as part of our specialised courier services.  We have been in talks with a major Airline based in London Heathrow, with a view to take all the unclaimed items and recycle them using a local company.

The procedure would involve one of our vans collecting unclaimed items on a monthly or quarterly basis.  These items will then be transported to a data erasing company locally.  Once the items have been professionally erased each item will be issued with a unique certificate.  This certificate is vital proof that all data has been removed permanently, excluding both Lost & Found Courier Services Ltd and any Service Provider from data protection procedures and therefore rendering each item available for resale.

These items will then be sold either through auctions or in bulk with proceeds going to cover our costs.  We have also offered to donate 10% of the proceeds to a charity of the Service Providers choice.

We are really excited about this new venture and believe it demonstrates our passion to be a forerunner in the lost property sector.  Our goal will always remain to reunite people with their lost property through the courier services we offer.  Where this may not be possible due to unwanted or unclaimed items, we are determined to provide a complete service.  Benefiting not just the general public but one that partners with corporate companies and Service Providers.

Our aim is to adapt and evolve, without compromising our core values remain; to be personable, professional and prompt in all we do.  Staying true to the vision we so proudly promote; committed to all your courier needs - dedicated to Lost Property.