Next time you’re asked (told) to take your shoes off at an airport security checkpoint, don’t put them in a bin; put them directly on the X-ray belt.

According to “Lynn” on the TSA’s Evolution of Security Web Site:

This will help to declutter bins and give officers a better view of shoes coming through, as well as everything else. Our officers are seeing some pretty packed bins with shoes, electronics, wallets and other items, and when they can’t get a good look, a cluttered bin is more likely to get pulled aside for additional screening. Nobody likes that.

No, nobody likes that. And I’ve never liked the idea that shoes went in the same bins as all our other stuff anyway.   So while it may help de-clutter the bins, it will also help de-germ them.

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