Paper shredding event returns to Island Beach parking lot
GREENWICH — As you spend more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, has the paper started to really pile up?
Good news: There will be a safe way to get rid of old documents while also benefiting the environment as the Greenwich Recycling Board and Greenwich Green and Clean once again host their annual Paper Shredding Day.
The event will be held from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Island Beach Parking Lot in downtown Greenwich.
Residents can drive up and drop off documents that need to be shredded.
The two organizations, which have collaborated on the event in previous years, are reminding residents of two facts: Sensitive documents should be shredded, and paper should be recycled, not put in the trash.
According to the Greenwich Recycling Board, more than 100 tons of paper has been shredded since the event started eight years ago.
Folders, cardboard, metal clips, binders, plastic, covers, books, newspapers and magazines will not be accepted.
Residents can bring such documents as medical records, legal and financial papers, old tax forms and Social Security papers to be shredded. It is OK to leave staples in the documents.
Documents to be shredded should be put in a box or rigid container, no larger than 12 inches by 18 inches by 12 inches. There is a five-box maximum per car at a cost of $2 per box. Exact payment must be made in cash.
The event has previously been held in the spring, but it was delayed this year because of the coronavirus.
Masks must be worn, and social distancing will be observed. Residents must remain in their cars and leave immediately after their boxes are emptied.
Volunteers will remove and empty the boxes of documents while maintaining social distancing.
The event is co-sponsored by the First Bank of
Greenwich and Santaguida Sanitation.
Residents may also make donations of canned goods or dried foods for the Neighbor to Neighbor food bank, which is operating across the street from the Island Beach lot in the Arch Street Teen Center.
For more information, visit greenwichgreenandclean.org.