Tomorrow is “Shred It” Day in Saugus

Town DPW will receive financial and personal paper it can shred to recycle instead of shipping it to the trash incinerator to be burned

Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree announced this week the return of a once-popular “Shred-It” event for town residents who are willing to recycle financial and personal papers instead of sending them to the trash-to-energy incinerator to be burned. “In Massachusetts, hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars are spent each year to dispose of paper in waste facilities that burn paper which could be recycled,” Crabtree said in a press release issued by his office on Wednesday. “The Town encourages residents to take advantage of this opportunity to support the environment and protect their sensitive information, especially documents containing financial or personal information.”

The “Shred-It” event will take place tomorrow (Saturday, June 29) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. behind the DPW at 515 Main St.

“We first held this event in 2017 and held it annually until the pandemic,” Crabtree said.

“We are happy to be able to respond to requests for its return and encourage all Saugus residents to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said. “While shredding provides a secure means of disposal for sensitive documents, it also contributes significantly to our community’s effort to reduce waste and support the environment.”

Crabtree noted the benefits of paper recycling according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

• Recycling one ton of paper saves about 4,100 kWh of electricity compared to its disposal.
• One shower uses roughly 2kWh of energy (assuming an electric water heater).
• Each ton of paper recycled, therefore, saves enough energy for more than 2000 showers.
• One mature tree provides enough oxygen each year to support two people.
• Each ton of paper recycled saves approximately 17 mature trees, or enough oxygen to support 34 people for a year.

“The Town of Saugus encourages all residents to protect their data and support the environment!” Crabtree said.

Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions.