Does anyone ever stop - just for a moment - to consider the costs, in terms of logistics and facilities, that lost property creates?
It is usually found during the safety checks following arrival, and the only contact between the cabin crew and the terminal is the despatcher, who, in these days of rapid turnarounds, invariably has enough on their plate as it is. At some airports, a member of the lost property office will come and collect the item. At other airports, the despatcher has the sole responsibility for the item until it can be delivered to the Lost Property Office, since they have signed for it on board the aircraft, even though in most cases they have no means to carry or store it if it is large or bulky.
Assuming the despatcher is able to safely deliver the item to the Lost Property Office, there is more paperwork to be dealt with and clearly there are costs involved in having a Lost Property Dept in the first place. Rent, heat, light, and salary as a minimum are the overheads for such an facility.
As an aside, I understand that in 70% of cases, the lost property is not claimed and most of it is auctioned. Whether this covers the cost of having the facility in the first place, I have no idea. I know of at least one airport which donates much of the money raised to charity.