BBB Shreds and Recycles 125,000 Pounds of Documents
Over 1,800 Cars Turn Out for Free BBB Shred Day Events in Central Texas
Austin, TX - BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas helped consumers and businesses shred 125,000 pounds (over 62 tons) of financial records, business forms and other sensitive documents during BBB's Shred Day on Saturday, October 10th. Consumers and small business owners like Ana Cortez of RAM Practice Management in Manor, TX cleared out desk drawers, file cabinets and garages to fill boxes and bags with documents to shred.
"We brought documents that have piled up since 2003," said Cortez, "It's great we can watch it get shredded."
1,823 cars visited BBB events in Round Rock, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi. Dell, Air Force Federal Credit Union, KVUE-TV, KIII-TV and WOAI-TV served as local sponsors for the event. The National Association for Information Destruction and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling served as national sponsors.
To put into perspective the impact consumers and small businesses had on their local communities, the amount of paper shredded and recycled saved the following:
1,062 trees
125 barrels of oil
437,500 gallons of water (enough for 292 homes for 1 month)
256,250 kilowatt hours of electricity (enough to power 274 homes for 1 month)
"Shred Day is a proactive way for BBB to help the community combat identity theft and recycle at the same time," said Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. "The response we received was overwhelming and consumers and our environment are better off because of this event."
BBB partnered with Cintas Document Management, Lonestar Shredding and Document Storage and Shred-It San Antonio to provide free shredding and recycling services. Participants, like Terry Fuller of San Antonio, watched while their sensitive documents were shredded on the spot.
"I appreciate the opportunity to shred these documents to help protect my identity," said Fuller. "The process was so fast and quick. Everyone should do this."
Participants took home gift bags with a record retention schedule and FTC Identity Theft online protection tips. BBB plans to host its next Shred Day event in April 2010. To participate in our next event, please contact Amanda Buck at (512) 206-2812. For more information, visit www.bbb.org.
About BBB:
BBB's mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.
Businesses that earn BBB Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization's high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB is the preeminent resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.
Contact BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas at (512) 445-4748.
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