Green Blog
To Shred or Not to Shred?
Do you have a pile of receipts, junk mail, and other papers piling up in the corner of your room? If you're concerned about identity theft, you probably play it safe by shredding all documents that may have any personal information on them. For the most security, pay a shredding company to shred your sensitive files.
If you shred at home, remember that shredded paper is not allowed in your curbside recycling bin. However, you can ensure that your scraps will get recycled by dropping them off directly at the transfer station where they can be added directly to paper bales. Compost at home? Shredded papers are great for compost!
Additionally, not all documents need to be shredded. Here's a list to help you clean up that pile of paper:
KEEP
Tax records and receipts (seven years from filing date)
Paycheck stubs and bank statements (one year)
Home purchase, sale, or home improvements documents (store for at least six years after you sell)
Medical records (one year after payment)
Social Security statement (most recent version)
Insurance policy statements (most recent version)
SHRED
Any of the above documents after the allotted time is over or a new document can replace it
Any documents that have full account numbers, social security numbers, passwords, PIN numbers, signature, and other secure information
Any mailings from your financial institution, whether or not they include account information
Credit card offers and applications, even if the information is incorrect.
TOSS
Carbon Paper and Receipts: Many receipts are printed on carbon paper or paper with other chemicals that are not recyclable. Even if you shred these, do not recycle them. Receipts that do not have your full account number or signature are safe to trash without shredding.
RECYCLE or COMPOST
Documents and mailings that have your name, address, phone number, and any other information that is available to the public online or in other databases do not need to be shredded. Please recycle these documents without shredding. This includes magazines and catalogs, junk mail, office paper and newspapers.
REDUCE
Go Paperless by passing on the receipt or getting electronic receipts and electronic documents.
Opt Out of Junk Mail by contacting the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service and ask that your name be removed from mailing lists. The fee for this service is $2. To register by Internet, fill out an online form here. Alternatively, print the mail-in form from the website, fill it out, and send it in.
Catalog Choice sends merchants your catalog opt-out request on your behalf, and is constantly working with merchants to encourage them to comply with opt-out requests. To reduce catalog mail in your life, sign up here.
Saturday, September 22, 2018, 10:00am - 01:00pm
Contact [email protected]
Bring your sensitive papers to be shredded and securely recycled! Shredding will be preformed on-site with a mobile shred truck. You can even wait around to watch your papers get shredded! But don't hold up the line.
