2024 Arkansas Community Shred Event Calendar Now Released!
The weather is warming up, the daylight is lasting longer, and the birds are starting to chirp a little louder. Arguably the most anticipated season of all the seasons in the year is right around the corner… That’s right, shred event season.
Beginning in the spring, paper shredding companies across the United States begin parking their shred trucks in neighborhoods, business parks, parking lots, and various other public locations so that local residents can swing by and have their paper quickly and securely shredded (and later recycled) often at no cost. These events go by different names depending on the company and area, but we prefer to call them Community Shred Events.
A photo of a free community shred event in Springdale last year that we hosted in partnership with AARP Arkansas.
How do Community Shred Events Work?
We can’t speak for every paper shredding company out there, but we’ll tell you how our shred events work.
For context, our trucks are equipped with commercial-grade pierce-and-tear shredders that make quick work of documents and folders. This allows us to shred paper anywhere our trucks can drive, a process known as on-site shredding (some shredding companies carry paper off-site to be shredded, which is far from ideal for information security).
At a community shred event, we park one (or sometimes multiple) shred trucks at an agreed-upon site, usually a parking lot outside a business or public venue. For a set amount of time—typically two to three hours—you can drive to this location and have your paper shredded on-site for free. Keep in mind that at some events donations are encouraged; all proceeds go toward the sponsoring group.
Once you pull up next to the shred truck (there might be a line), a service representative or volunteer will help you unload your paper from your vehicle and deposit it into a large bin that is then lifted into the truck where it is quickly shredded. You can even watch the shredding process through the LCD display on our truck!
Important Things to Know about Our Shred Events:
Our trucks can hold up to 4-5 tons of shredded paper. That may seem like an astronomical number, but due to the popularity of our community shred events, it doesn’t take long to reach full capacity. To ensure that as many people as possible have an opportunity to shred their paper, we set a cap of 5 boxes per person or group at these events (which equates to roughly 150 pounds if all 5 boxes are filled).
Because we recycle the paper we shred, there are certain things we cannot shred, such as thick plastic (like a three ring binder) and x-rays. We also cannot shred cardboard since it gums up our shredders. However, staples, bulldog clips, and other small pieces of metal, as well as manila folders and other common office materials, can all be shredded.
2024 Community Shred Event Dates & Locations
For a full list of our shred event dates, times, and locations, visit our Community Shred Events page here. Our first event kicks off in Little Rock on March 30th. The second one will take place in Fayetteville on April 13th.
The calendar is subject to change throughout the course of the year, so make sure to check our website from time to time, or follow us on your social media platform of choice for the latest updates!