Hosting a Community Shredding Event: 3 Reasons Why

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Hosting a Community Shredding Event: 3 Reasons Why

By Higher Information Group on July 3, 2019 | Document Solutions

According to Javelin Strategy/Research, someone in the U.S. falls victim to identity theft every two seconds. As awareness about the dangers of identity fraud grows, businesses and individuals rely on shredding as a simple way to ensure that paper documents containing confidential and personal information are securely destroyed. Rather than risk throwing paper in the trash, individuals often save documents containing their personal information and look for free shredding events in their community for protection from potential fraud. A community shredding event usually consists of a mobile shredding truck scheduled at an established location for several hours, giving members of the community an opportunity to bring their documents for secure shredding. Community shredding events are typically sponsored by a local organization or community group. These events are usually offered free to the public or shredding service is provided in exchange for a donation to a local charity.

Community shredding events offer many benefits for the community and for the sponsoring organization. Here are our top three reasons for hosting a community shredding event.

Reason #1 Awareness & Education

The number of individuals affected by fraud and identity theft continues to grow at an alarming pace. Community shredding events are an ideal platform for educating the public that identity theft begins with personal data like bank account information, social security numbers, insurance records, etc., getting into the hands of fraudsters. Document shredding is a simple way to push back on the growing fraud epidemic. A free local event helps area residents securely dispose of confidential documents and reinforces the importance of privacy protection.

Reason #2 Be a Good Corporate Citizen

Hosting a community shredding event presents an excellent opportunity to garner goodwill with residents and other local organizations. This kind of community outreach can help establish your brand as a business that is committed to consumer education and protection.

Providing a free service to the community that allows consumers to safely dispose of personal clutter and drives awareness about identity fraud can also increase your organization’s exposure, build trust with your audience and potentially generate positive public relations opportunities.

Reason #3 Protect the Environment

Yes, professionally shredded paper can be recycled! When you partner with a secure shredding service like Higher Information Group, shredded paper is taken directly to the pulping mill for recycling.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each recycled ton of paper fiber saves:

17 trees
3.3 cubic yards of landfill space
360 gallons of water
100 gallons of gasoline
60 pounds of pollutants
10,400 kilowatts of electricity

Does growing your community’s awareness about fraud prevention and personal security align with your organization’s brand and values? Would you like to create goodwill in your community and support efforts that are good for the environment? Hosting a community shredding event might be a great fit for your company.

Reach out to a HIG team member to learn more about our secure shredding services or to discuss hosting a community shredding event!

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