A new program at Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California will repurpose toiletries that are larger than the Transportation Security Administration-allowed 3.4-ounce carry-on size and are not permitted to be taken on board.
The airport is encouraging passengers to drop off any new or lightly used toiletries that are too big to fly before entering the secure area. Through the Toiletries for Troops program, dedicated bins have been placed just outside TSA screening areas in both terminals for the collection of these items.
The donated personal care items will be regularly collected by volunteers from United Service Organization (USO). New toiletries will be distributed to military personnel who are traveling through the airport, whether they are departing for deployment or returning home. Gently used items will be donated to Seeds of Hope for Veterans, a non-profit co-founded by one of Ontario’s USO volunteers and his wife, Mike and Karen Rogel, to support local veterans.
The Toiletries for Troops program not only will support military members and veterans, but will reduce waste by repurposing toiletries that would otherwise go to local landfills.
London Gatwick donates unwanted toiletries in a similar initiative. Read more about it here.