Shredding documents has become a common practice. In fact, it’s one of the easiest ways to protect personal information that’s kept on physical paper. Today’s criminals can easily use your discarded documents to gain access to your data, including social security numbers, bank accounts, and credit history. By shredding your physical documents, you’re taking a big step toward protecting yourself from identity theft.
Now, when you’re ready to shred your documents, you may notice a variety of service options on the market. Many shredding services cater primarily to businesses, but some also support residential shredding needs. That said, individuals with a small amount of paperwork to shred have options, too.
Today’s criminals can easily use your discarded documents to gain access to your data.
That’s where shred events come in. Shred events provide a convenient and cost-effective way to shred your personal files securely. In this blog, we’ll explore shred events, including what they are, how they work, and where to find local shred events in your community. Read on or watch the video at the end of the post.
What Is a Shred Event?
A shred event provides convenient shredding services to a group of people. Shredding events are often held in local communities and are usually sponsored by local businesses, charities, and nonprofits. At times, these organizations may ask for donations or a small fee for the shredding services provided. The intent of these organizations is to give communities access to data protection and education about identity theft.
How Does a Shredding Event Work?
The process of a shredding event is pretty simple. Once you find an event you’d like to attend, make note of the date and time. Compile all of the documents you’d like to have securely shredded. When you arrive at the location on the event date, you’ll look for the mobile shredding truck. When you bring your documents to the professional on site, they’ll put them through the mobile shredder while you watch. Participants not only have the opportunity to securely destroy their documents, but they can also connect with others in their community.
Can I Participate In a Shredding Event?
Shredding events are generally a good option for almost anyone. That said, if you relate to any of the following scenarios, a shred event might be the perfect fit for your needs.
- You’ve been keeping all your sensitive information on physical documents, and now you have too much to shred.
- You don’t have the time to shred each and every one of your documents yourself.
- Your budget doesn’t account for the cost of professional shredding services.
- You take the risk and throw physical documents right into the trash.
Even if you don’t relate to any of the above scenarios, you could still benefit from attending a shredding event. From two pages to two hundred pages, you’ll be able to shred them at a shred event.
How Do I Find a Shredding Event Near Me?
Now that you know what a shredding event is and how it works, you might be curious about how to find one. While the details depend on the location and the organizer, we’ve got a few tips for finding a shredding event near you:
- Event schedules: Shred events happen quite often. While some organizers try to plan community shredding around seasonal events like tax season, other organizers choose to hold a shredding event in the off-season as well.
- Event times: Most organizers hold shredding events on Saturdays for a few hours to make them accessible for as many people as possible.
- Event locations: Public spaces like churches and schools are often used to hold shredding events. These places often have large parking lots where the shredding truck can set up and accommodate the community, no matter how many people show up.
- Event organizers: As we mentioned, local and national organizations often host community shredding events. Some of them, like AARP, hold them regularly and feature a calendar or schedule you can reference.
Are Shred Events Safe and Secure?
With the risk of identity theft, it’s perfectly normal to be concerned about the security of a public shredding event. However, the services provided at a community shredding event are from certified professionals who prioritize compliance and security. That said, below are some of the extra precautions these providers will take to ensure your information is safe and secure.
Did you know there’s more than one way to shred paper?
Witnessed Shredding
Witnessed shredding allows you to observe the shredding process. While it’s usually associated with mobile shredding services, shredding event providers allow attendees to watch each step of the document shredding process.
Cross-cut Shredding
Did you know there’s more than one way to shred paper? Professional shredders use a cross-cut shredder, which cuts paper in two directions. This approach gives you smaller paper shreds, compared to traditional strip-cut shredders. With the small size of cross-cut shreds, it’s difficult, if not impossible, for criminals to reassemble your shreds.
Secure Document Shredding With Shred Nations
Shred events are a great option to ensure your personal documents are securely shredded and your information is kept safe. That said, shredding events may not always work for your needs. That’s why Shred Nations provides multiple shredding services. From mobile shredding and off-site destruction to one-time purges and recurring service, we’ll connect you with local professionals who take security seriously.
To start the process or get more information, simply fill out the form on the page, give us a call at (800) 747-3365, or contact us directly using our live chat. Afterwards, you’ll receive free, no-obligation quotes from providers near you.
