Airport safety: The fate of your fingernail clippers

We've probably all been caught in the airport frisk carrying a forbidden item: fingernail clippers, pocketknife, mouthwash, a brick of C-4 in our tennis shoe -- and we've seen the barrel full of confiscated items. Apparently, when the ban was extended to include liquids such as mouthwash and alcohol, the Transportation Safety Administration was overwhelmed by the volume of goods and forced to a let a contract with Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE:SAI) to dispose of the forbidden items.

SAI took on the five-year, $39 million contract to dispose of confiscated knives, bottles, cigarette lighters, and other items. A total of 13.7 million such items were taken in 2006.

This calls to mind a great money-making idea I had the last time I flew. A not-for-profit organization should set up a booth next to the screening line with a sign that reads, "Did you forget to leave your knife, nail file, or fingernails clippers behind? Don't let them be confiscated! Donate them here for a charitable donation tax deduction."

The organization could then even set up another booth at baggage pickup, with a sign that read "Need a pocket knife, nail file or fingernail clippers? Buy them, used, here and help our cause."