Columbia Co. Shred Day Brings Secure Document Destruction to Residents
Saturday we had another great shred event. We teamed up withJenny Hinson of the Columbia County Greens Program and coordinated a shred drive at both their recycling centers, in Grovetown and Evans. We had a truck at each location and were able to serve over 430 members of the greater Columbia County community. This dual purpose event offered patrons the opportunity to have their old and outdated personal documents securely destroyed, and also helped to lessen the environmental effects of paper waste that makes its way to landfills each year. All the paper that is shredded in our NAID certified process is recycled and reused to make new paper products.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), of the 250 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the United States in 2008, 31% was paper [1]. Thats over 77 million tons of paper waste! According to Recycling Revolution Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water [2]. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution. That’s a big difference when it comes to the impact we can each have. Just on Saturday we were able to shred and recycle 14,180 lbs (yep, thats 7 tons of paper!) of personal documents that may have otherwise ended up in a landfill. Just in a few hours we were able to make a noteable impact when you run the numbers based on the stats above!
By partnering with the Columbia County green program our shred drive helped to eliminate paper waste, but it also ensured the security of your personal documents during the destruction. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In 2014 it was said that identity theft hits a new victim every 2 seconds, thats roughly 15.7 million people a year [3]. Saturday’s event was a great opportunity to educate people about protecting themselves and protecting the environment we live in. We look forward to partnering with Columbia County for future events, and if you missed this one, we hope to see you next time!
Interested in learning more about our secure document destruction services? Find our more on our website or contact us today – 1.888.299.0186
SOURCES:
1. http://thepaperlifecycle.org/end-of-life/in-depth/what-goes-into-the-landfill/