As part of University of Southern Mississippi’s Earth Week celebration, the Hattiesburg community was invited on April 24th to participate in a free, eco-friendly shredding event held at the USM Physical Plant.
Located right at the edge of the Physical Plant’s parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents and students alike had the opportunity to securely dispose of personal documents and outdated electronic devices, all while contributing to a greener planet. There, a Shred-it truck and an employee welcomed community members throughout the event.
“What we do is, of course, destruction, and once we take it back to our office in Jackson, our plant partners process it by shredding it, destroying it, and it’ll come out in these bales which then get taken to various recycling plants,” said Shred-it employee Trey Coleman.
This process ensures that sensitive materials are destroyed and recycled responsibly, preventing them from ending up in landfills or, worse, in the hands of identity thieves.
Coleman added that along with destroying and recycling paper, the company also destroys and recycles other items like old license plates and hard drives. Coleman also emphasized that safe document disposal is a necessary precaution.
“It’s dangerous just to not properly get rid of sensitive documents, old tax information, just anything Social Security,” said Coleman. “[The shredding event] is a good service to the community with so much going on.”
While the event was held on campus, the crowd that turned out the most was largely made of older members of the community with a minimal number of students stopping by.
“I didn’t know about the shredding event, but it’s really nice to know that USM is trying to help the environment the best way they can,” said USM student Jax Lofton. “I know there’s a lack of places to recycle in Hattiesburg so the fact that USM is doing something to help combat that is awesome. Having an Earth Week is super nice because we got to help Mother Earth.”
The company Shred-it is under the company of Stericycle and together the companies have shredded and recycled over 906 million pounds of paper. The service of Shred-it is important in protecting private and sensitive information and many companies are required to securely dispose of important documents.
Events like the one hosted by USM offer an easy way for individuals to dispose of sensitive materials securely while also supporting environmental efforts. By providing access to device and important document destruction, the event aimed to reduce waste and promote awareness about proper recycling practices. As part of Earth Week, it served as an example of how institutions and service providers can work together to encourage environmentally responsible behavior within the community.
