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Better Business Bureau hosting free shred day this weekend in Meridian

Offering safe way to dispose of personal documents
Posted at 8:47 AM, Apr 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-22 10:47:44-04

BOISE, Ida. — If you're looking for a way to get rid of personal documents post-tax season, the Better Business Bureau is getting ready to host a free shred day event just for you!

Hundreds of cars line up each year in the Treasure Valley, waiting to take part in the event. BBB says more than 30 tons of sensitive documents get destroyed during the annual shred day.

This year, BBB is teaming up with Crime Stoppers of South Western Idaho to offer the free document shredding. Meridian Anti-Drug Coalition will also be on-site with their prescription drug takeback program while Shred It will be on hand with four industrial trucks, securely shredding your documents.

You can bring up to five boxes or bags of old papers to the event. Items you will want to destroy include anything with identifying information, such as your name, address, phone number and date of birth. You should shred sales receipts, ATM receipts, canceled checks and junk mail immediately. BBB suggests holding onto pay stubs, bank statements and paid bills for at least one year before destroying them. You should also keep tax-related receipts, W-2's and records for tax deductions for at least seven years.

The shred day event is also a reminder that it's time to change up your passwords. Make them strong with capitals, numbers and special characters. You should also make them long because the longer the password, the harder they are to crack. It's also a great time to run your free annual credit report. You can check them every year through three credit reporting agencies here. Take a look at it in detail and make sure there are no red flags.

Free Shred Day is this Saturday, April 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blue Cross of Idaho in Meridian. You can also drop off old, unused and unwanted prescriptions during the event. For more information, check out the Facebook event page here. You can also find more ways to keep your information safe here.