Shanghai Scrap

Last month, in advance of the Olympics, the Chinese civil aviation authorities implemented many of the same (sometimes silly) post-9/11 airport security restrictions that have plagued US travelers for nearly six years. Among these is a ban on cigarette lighters enforced at the security check. US fliers will be familiar with the routine: arrive at the x-ray machine, empty your pockets, and suddenly find your lighter (and shampoo, nail file, and cork screw) seized by the TSA.

Forgetting, for now, the utility of this routine, it begs the question: what happens to all of that seized/surrendered stuff? Back in 2002, the much loved, long departed Rake (print version), answered for Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (and perhaps for the US): everything is incinerated on-site, at the airport.

So what about China?

Having spent years reporting on this country’s insanely efficient recycling industry, it frankly seemed inconceivable to me that Chinese airports would allow perfectly good carry-on items to go to waste (much less, the incinerator). And, tonight, as I arrived at Shanghai Pudong on a late evening flight from Hong Kong, I confirmed my suspicion. There, just on the other side of Customs, was this:

That’s right. The Shanghai Airport authorities are gathering up all of the lighters seized at security, and giving them away to arriving, smoking travelers. Welcome to Shanghai, have a smoke (only partly) on us!

Now, I’m no smoker, but I have to admit that this is the most commonsense solution to a problem that most people never even realized that airport administrators have. Pure genius, and pure, Shanghai-style hospitality!

I’m not sure when the Great Lighter Giveaway was set-up. It definitely wasn’t there when I last came through Pudong Customs on July 27. If anybody has a more specific date, please let me know and I’ll post the info.

[Addendum: I apologize for the quality of thr photo, but I was really pressing my luck by even snapping it. Taking photos inside of Chinese airports is technically illegal (though everybody does it), and taking one outside of an Olympics-hardened (well ...) Customs checkpoint where the security guards look like they'd rather be home, watching synchronized diving, is asking for trouble.]