WASHINGTON (WDVM) — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has a new lost and found policy now in effect.
The changes come from budgetary gaps that WMATA is working to close. Under the new policy, the only items that will be kept in the lost and found include electronics and wallets.
Sherri Ly, spokesperson for WMATA, said, “We recognize that there are some items such as electronics or wallets that are invaluable to our customers or difficult to replace, and because of that, we will continue to try and reunite those with their owners.”
While some people may get their items back, if anything else is lost on a WMATA service, the item will be thrown away, donated to charity, destroyed or auctioned. Ly said every year there are 10,000 to 12,000 items turned into the lost and found.
Ly said, “Managing all those umbrellas, scarves and other things that make up all those items turned in is costly, especially when you consider that about 75 percent of the items, historically, that are turned in are never claimed.”
Ly added that most years, 50 percent of items reported are never turned in. The WMATA lost and found is located at 6505 Belcrest Rd., Hyattsville, Md.
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