Cary residents can get rid of their sensitive documents safely and securely at a free shred event.

The Town of Cary has contracted with Shred-It to have four shredding trucks in operation from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Garmon Operations Center, 400 James Jackson Ave. The event will take place “sprinkle or shine,” and may end early if the trucks reach capacity.

“The Town is happy to bring this free, popular service back to Cary this year,” said Brandon Roberson, Cary’s Recycling Supervisor. “This event provides citizens with an easy, safe opportunity to shred and recycle their sensitive documents while helping us keep this material out of our landfills.”

In 2019, the shred event processed nearly 23 tons of paper from 1052 participants in four hours.

Participants at this year’s event may shred up to three boxes of paper at no charge, and must be in line by 1 p.m. to drive through the designated traffic pattern. Town staff will be on-site to help manage traffic, ensure safety practices are in place, and unload boxes from citizens’ vehicles for the shred queue.

Communities across the country have come together each November since 1997 to celebrate America Recycles Day, which is Monday, Nov. 15, this year. Since the Town’s first shred event in 2010, nearly 8,000 Cary citizens have participated in Cary’s paper shred, keeping more than 330,000 pounds of paper out of the landfill.