An amnesty bin or amnesty box is a receptacle into which items can be placed without incurring consequences related to those items. Amnesty bins have been used for various items, including

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...

, weapons, fruit,

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

, and animals. A version of an amnesty bin is also used at Amazon warehouses for damaged items.

At music venues

In Europe, drug-related deaths at music festivals present a public health concern. Amnesty bins for drugs at festivals have been proposed as a method of harm reduction; a study in Ireland found that 75% of participants said they would use amnesty bins for drugs if they were part of a drug checking system that would provide alerts about dangerous drugs in circulation. One London dance venue required patrons to place any illegal drugs they possessed into an amnesty bin . Items placed into the bin in 1998 and 1999 were analyzed in a 2001 study of illicit drug consumption, in order to determine which street drugs were currently available.

At airports

In Australia

To prevent certain pests and diseases from entering areas within the country, amnesty bins are used in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as part of the

Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in part ...

(FFEZ). Travelers to Melbourne from outside the FFEZ are asked to place any fruit they are carrying into an amnesty bin in the airport.

In New Zealand

In New Zealand airports, amnesty bins coupled with signage about the fines for bringing in invasive species are used to help preserve the biosecurity of the isolated country. Chinese and English signage is used on the bins. The bins and signage are placed by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

In the United States

Chicago

In 2020, bright blue amnesty boxes for cannabis disposal were placed outside the security checkpoints at

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, ...

and Midway International Airport in Chicago. Intended to allow departing travelers to dispose of cannabis, which is legal in Illinois but illegal under federal law, the boxes are owned by the Chicago Department of Aviation and serviced by the

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind t ...

Colorado

At Colorado Springs Airport, amnesty boxes just before the entrance to security allow departing travelers to dispose of cannabis, which is legal in Colorado but illegal on commercial flights in the United States. The boxes have been used to dispose of cannabis

edibles An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushro ...

, electronic cigarettes, pipes, and concentrate. An additional amnesty box for cannabis is located at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. Most flights from the airport land at

Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , locally known as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , it is the largest airport in ...

, where cannabis is banned. Departing travelers at Aspen/Pitkin with cannabis are instructed to either return it to their vehicles or place it in the bin.

Hawaii

At airports in Hawaii, amnesty bins are provided for agricultural reasons, intended to prevent the introduction of invasive plants and animals. Arriving passengers, who have already filled out agricultural declaration forms, can place prohibited items in the bins without risking consequences. According to the acting manager of the Plant Quarantine Branch at the

Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, of material are placed in the bins at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu every few days; pest-free plant material can be used as

animal feed Animal feed is food given to domestic animals, especially livestock, in the course of animal husbandry. There are two basic types: fodder and forage. Used alone, the word ''feed'' more often refers to fodder. Animal feed is an important input to ...

for confiscated animals at the Department of Agriculture facilities, while contaminated material is destroyed. In 2002, a foot-long ball python was found in one of the airport's amnesty bins. The snake was believed to have been placed into the bin inside an airsickness bag, and subsequently escaped from the bag, as a torn bag was also found in the bin. It was the first animal ever found in an amnesty bin in the Oʻahu airport.

Las Vegas

In 2018, thirteen green amnesty boxes were placed in high-traffic areas of McCarran International Airport (now Harry Reid International Airport) in Las Vegas for disposal of cannabis and prescription drugs. Seven more were planned to be placed at Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, and areas of Reid International Airport operated by private companies.

Knife bins

knife bin A knife bin, also known as a knife bank, weapon surrender bin, knife amnesty bin or knife amnesty bank, is a place where the owners of knives may dispose of them in a safe and legal way. Knife bins are associated with attempts to reduce knife crim ...

is a bin in which people can anonymously dispose of knives, avoiding possible criminal offenses related to knives. One such amnesty bin for knives, located in Hackney, had more than 1,500 weapons placed into it over two years in the early 2010s.

In the Amazon fulfillment process

Fulfillment centers belonging to Amazon use amnesty bins as part of their process. Robotic stowers of incoming items place damaged or unscannable items into amnesty bins rather than bins for sorted items, thereby identifying them as problems to be solved later by a human. For outgoing items, human workers place damaged or unscannable items into amnesty bins for the same reason; robotic pickers for outbound items do the same.

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