Free paper-shredding events scheduled throughout Twin Cities in April, May
It's tax time. Purge your piles of sensitive data in a hurry instead of feeding a personal shredder two sheets at a time. Now through May, there are plenty of free or low-cost shredding options in the Twin Cities.
Louise Kurzeka, a professional organizer with Everything's Together in St. Louis Park, said that finding a free or low-cost paper shredding event has an added benefit. "It forces people to clear their file drawers," she said.
Sara Pedersen of Time to Organize in Shoreview suggests checking with your bank or credit union for any free shredding events. Some will accept a box or less of material at their branches.
Kurzeka and Pedersen came up with several other options.
Pioneer SecureShred (155 Irving Av. N., Minneapolis, 612-381-2199) offers free shredding of up to 10 boxes of paper (bankers box sized) on the first Friday of every month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The next free shredding event will be May 2. If you can't wait until then, a box of paper costs $3 each with a $25 minimum.
At Shred Right's St. Paul location, the company will shred up to eight boxes for a fee ($25 plus $3 per box after eight) from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays (no drop-offs between 11 and 11:30 a.m.). It will also shred electronic media (CDs, tapes) for 32 cents per pound and cellphones and hard drives (removed from computer) for $5 each at its St. Paul location.
OfficeMax, Office Depot and UPS stores offer paper shredding for about 99 cents per pound (a grocery sack filled with paper weighs 10 to 15 pounds). Check for frequent coupons and discounts through April in Sunday circulars, company apps and e-mails as well as on their websites. Some UPS stores occasionally offer discounts for AAA members.
