Document Destruction Event  - August 3, 2024

Mount Prospect Public Works
August 3, 2024 from 8am - 11am
Public Works Facility
1700 W. Central Road
8 am – 11 am

ONLY OPEN TO SWANCC MEMBER COMMUNITIES
Document Destruction Only

As a courtesy to SWANCC community residents who have sensitive documents to destroy, such as medical records, tax forms, bank statements, etc., the Agency provides seasonal Document Destruction Events from May through October, hosted by member communities.

How to Prepare Documents for Paper Shredding Event

Paper that gets shredded at a SWANCC event will be transported to a Materials Recovery Facility, baled and sold to a paper mill.  The paper will then be reprocessed and made into new paper and paper products.  The stream must be clean and free of any other type of materials – known as “contamination”.  Please read information below before attending an event!

What types of paper can I bring to a shredding event?

Residents can bring up to six (6) file-size boxes or paper grocery bags of paper documents containing personal information such as; medical forms, bank statements, retired tax records, financial planning or documents with personal information – address labels are not considered “personal information”.  

How should my paper be prepared?

√ Paper must be dry, clean and loose – not in binders or folders
√ Remove all metal clips – small staples are okay
√ Remove all plastic covers or binders
√ Do Not bring paper in plastic bags

What types of paper items are NOT ACCEPTED?

NO – Photos or family albums
NO - Photo negatives
NO – Plastic credit or gift cards
NO - Plastic covers from check books or registers
NO - Store receipts
NO - Books 

Paper NOT WANTED – recycle in your curbside cart!

NO - Magazines 
NO – Junk mail, ads or coupons
NO - Greeting cards
NO - Newspapers

What is the danger of putting “contamination” in the paper?

Batteries, electronics, medications, sharps, etc. pose a health and safety danger to those touching the paper documents, and batteries can spark fires inside the paper truck as terminal ends come in contact with the metal shredder!  Additionally, contamination will lower the value of the paper when sold.

If your paper is not prepared correctly, you will be turned away.  Thank you for your cooperation!

No business or institutional waste will be accepted.

According to the  Federal Trade Commission, it is estimated that 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year, prompting the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) in Washington to issue new warnings about safekeeping financial information.

Will the documents be shredded at the drop-off location or are they transported to another facility?
All documents will be shredded on-site. Workers will remove documents from vehicles and put them in a toter. When the toter is full, it is suctioned into the truck and shredded at once.

Will the documents be cross-shredded?
Yes, the machine will cross-shred the documents.

Do staples and paper clips need to be removed?
No, the machine can handle staples and paper clips, however, you need to remove all binders.

Is there a certain way to prepare my documents?
Simply put all paper documents into a bag or box for easy removal.

What happens to the shredded paper?
The shredded documents are transported to Groot’s recycling facility in Elk Grove Village and baled before being recycled into new paper.

What type of documents should I be keeping?
Generally, taxable documents should be stored for seven years. Some documents should be kept forever, and others can be recycled after your review.