Fraud is a frequent and ongoing threat to both businesses and consumers. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were over 1.1 million reports of identity theft received through the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov website in 2022. Securely shredding papers with confidential and personal information is still one of the best ways businesses and individuals can help protect data from information thieves.

While many businesses support a culture of information security to help teach their employees about data protection, promoting information security in the community can also be beneficial. Hosting a Community Shred-it^® event spotlights physical data security, which can positively impact everyone involved.

What is a Community Shred-it Event?

Community Shred-it events raise awareness about identity theft and fraud by reminding community members about the importance of securely destroying documents that contain personal information. Shred-it partners with organizations across the country to host local shredding events where anyone can bring their documents for destruction. Some of their events also partner with local charities and collect donations for a worthy cause.

On a specified day, a mobile paper shredding truck (there could be more than one depending on the size of the community and the anticipated number of participants) will park in an easy-to-access location, such as a shopping center parking lot, and community members bring confidential and personal documents for destruction. Documents can include old tax documents, junk mail, photos, unnecessary receipts, old bills and more.

How Can Your Financial Institution Benefit from a Community Shred-it Event?

• Helps build a safer community: Any document that includes personal information, such as names, addresses, and account numbers, can be used by identity thieves for fraudulent activities. Community shredding events help to inform the public about protecting confidential information and identity theft prevention. Keeping confidential information out of the garbage and recycling bin means dumpster divers stay empty-handed.
• Helps improve reputation: Aligning with an event that provides document shredding services is good public relations and shows that your bank cares about its community. A Community Shred-it event can be a good news story for local media outlets, and you can also invite community members to post their pictures on social media. Putting this positive spotlight on your institution can also strengthen customer, client, and supplier relationships.
• Builds goodwill: A Community Shred-it event is often free of cost to residents, who are invited to bring a box or two of confidential papers. A shredding event can also help raise funds for a charity, and that creates goodwill, too. Community members who bring documents for shredding might be asked for a small donation to the charity.
• Is the most effective form of physical data destruction: Professional shredding services, like Shred-it, use cross-cut shredding equipment, which reduces paper to confetti-like pieces that are impossible to put back together. Industrial shredders are much more effective at document destruction when compared to do-it-yourself shredders, which often create long strips of paper that someone can piece back together.
• Shows commitment to sustainability: A Community Shred-it event is a way to promote the importance of paper recycling. Once documents are securely shredded, Shred-it sends the paper to companies that recycle it into new products — this shows that environmental responsibility and document security can go hand-in-hand. The World Counts estimates that recycling one ton of paper can contribute to a resource savings equivalent to around 1,400 liters of oil, 26,500 liters of water, and 17 trees.

How to Host a Community Shred-it Event?

If you want to host a Community Shred-it event, contact Thomas Wood at thomas.wood@stericycle.com. Be sure to mention the UBA program where members are eligible for a 35% discount on Shred-it events. Shred-it wants each event to be successful and is happy to support host companies with resources and marketing materials.