County kick-off of 2012 shredding events will be April 21

The Somerset County Board of Freeholders and the county’s Consumer Protection and Records Management offices will be sponsoring 11 “Operation Secure Shred” events throughout the county in 2012. The kick-off event will be held at a county facility. For the convenience of residents, subsequent events will be hosted by various municipalities around Somerset County , with assistance from Somerset County . All shredding events will be on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  All events will be rain or shine.

Residents from all 21 Somerset County municipalities are invited to have personal documents shredded at as many free, on-site, mobile paper-shredding events as they wish to attend. Residents do not have to reside in a town hosting an event to participate.

The county-hosted first shredding event will be held on April 21, at the Somerset County Public Works Garage, located at 410 Roycefield Road in Hillsborough. Shredding will continue throughout the scheduled hours, with two trucks on-site. 

“Properly disposing of personal documents is a necessary step in safeguarding and protecting your personal information and credit and preventing identify theft,” said Freeholder Robert Zaborowski, consumer protection liaison. “We are pleased to be able to provide this service to our residents in collaboration with our municipalities.”

            Documents will be commercially shredded safely, privately and properly by trained, licensed and bonded document-destruction specialists.  Staples and paperclips do not have to be removed. Residents may bring documents in up to six boxes, containers and bags per visit and will be asked to take back their receptacles.  Participants may stay and watch as their documents are shred, if they wish. No recyclable junk mail, magazines or newspapers will be accepted.

           The South County Public Works Garage can be reached from Route 206 to Dukes Parkway West , left to Roycefield Road .  Directions are available at  www.co.somerset.nj.us/recycle/hazardouswastecollection%20dir.html

            Additional shredding events will be held at various municipal locations as follows: June 2 in Hillsborough at the Auten Road Disposal Facility, across from the Auten Road School Athletic Field; June 9 at the Bridgewater Township Municipal Building-100 Commons Way; June 16 at the Watchung Police Facility-840 Somerset St.; July 14 at the Bedminster Township Public Works Building-75 Miller Lane; July 21 at Montgomery Fire Co. No. 1 in Belle Mead-33 Griggstown Road; Sept. 8 at the Franklin Township Municipal Building-475 DeMott Lane in Somerset; Sept. 22 at the Bound Brook Commuter Parking Lot-100 West Main St., across from Dunkin Donuts; Oct. 6 at the Branchburg Municipal Building-1077 U.S. Highway 202 North; Oct. 20 at the Green Brook Municipal Building-111 Green Brook Road; and Oct. 27 at the Bernards Township Engineering Services Building-277 S. Maple Ave. in Basking Ridge.

            For more information about the locations of the municipal shredding events, contact the towns directly. A listing of towns in Somerset County can be found on the county’s website at www.co.somerset.nj.us/towndir.html. A listing of the events and addresses is available at www.co.somerset.nj.us/spotlight.html.

            According to 2009 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) statistics, identity theft affects as many as 10 million people in the United States annually.  This results in losses to financial and business organizations totaling $53 billion per year. 

            For further information, contact the Somerset County Division of Consumer Protection at (908) 203-6080 or consumerprotection@co.somerset.nj.us.