To stop worrying over lost things, humanity invented special boxes for forgotten things. They are located in the most populated parts of the cities.
They work automatically and are served by robots.
If someone found something — e.g. some documents lying on the ground — one can get it and put into the box, for a minuscule payment. (So to avoid abusing.)
Good deeds are always worth the price.
If the item looks suspicious, go-byers can point at them with their favourite smart-device and the special robot would arrive quickly. It’ll take the item, put it in a blast-proof hard case and bring it to a safe location, where it would analyse it. If it’s safe, it’s put into the special box for storing.
Then, the special web service would publish the finding. The original owner could collect the thing back for a small bounty.
If the lost posession is of any value to the person, they pay the bounty.
Upon registering the lost item, you pay a small amount for the robot services. The sum is held from the bank, but not withdrawn.
- If the posession is taken by the owner, the sum returns + half the paid bounty.
- The other half goes to the robots company.
- The original owner is usually known by the digital signature, which all the items have.
- If the posession is not taken within sane amount of time, it’s analysed by the company. If it’s of any value, the minuscule payment returns to the person who reported the item, plus extra bonus payment to motivate the behaviour.
- If the reported item is garbage, the money never return, plus the next reported by the same person item would be twice more expensive. If they continue supplying garbage, the price goes up exponentially. The next reported item is four times more expensive, then 16 times, and so on.
- If the reported item is not garbage, but bears no value either, it gets auctioned, to compensate the operational expenses.
Everyone knows where to seek the lost items, so there is less stress for everyone. People who find the belongings, they have a legal way to earn extra money by returning the items back to their original owners. The organisation also generates money by making it all possible.