USD 5 lakh in coins retrieved from security bins in 2012

Travelers left behind over USD 531,000 in loose change at American airport security checkpoints in 2012 and now that huge chunk of money could find its way to deserving members of the US military and their families.
The US House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that donates to the United Service Organisations the combined loose change that travelers across the country forget to retrieve from airport security bins.
The USO is a non-profit benefitting members of the US military and their families.
While flyers usually remember to retrieve their computers, belts and other items required to be placed in bins before going through metal detectors at US airports, they often forget to take back their loose change.

In fact, in 2012 alone, that money amounted to more than USD 531,000, according to the House Homeland Security Committee.
The legislation, called the TSA Loose Change Act, would make sure that the money is applied to charitable causes instead of going back to the Transportation Security Administration, which had reportedly been collecting the money to supplement its budget.

The US Senate will take up the legislation later this month, New York Daily News reported.
Travellers left the most spare change in 2012 at Miami International Airport, where more than USD 39,000 was abandoned, while fliers parted with nearly USD 27,000 at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.

Rounding out the top five, according to the US Department of Homeland Security, were Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (USD 22,116), Los Angeles International Airport (USD 21,916) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (USD 21,201).