Document Shredding Program Returns This Weekend In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Good news for those who are looking to get rid of their personal and confidential papers. Ocean County’s free Residential Document Shredding Program will get under way again on April 6 in Berkeley Township.

Many residents look forward to this program each year. Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Barbara Jo Crea said that some have been asking about the 2024 program since the beginning of the year.

“The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has supported this program from the start and we are very pleased that we can continue to run it through our Department of Solid Waste Management,” said Crea, who serves as liaison to the county’s award winning recycling programs. “We encourage our residents to use it in order to safely and securely dispose of important papers that they no longer need.”

The first shredding date this year is April 6 at the Berkeley Township Public Works Complex, 630 Pinewald Keswick Road, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or until the truck is full.

There’s no need to pre-register, and any Ocean County resident is free to participate at any location. See the other dates here.

Each site has two trucks, and participants should stay in their car. Materials you want shredded should be in the trunk or cargo area easily accessible to staff, who will remove them from the vehicle, Crea said.

There is a limit of four file boxes or clear bags, containing a total of no more than 100 pounds of confidential documents per car. Paper must be in manageable containers and there is no need to remove paper clips or staples. No commercial documents are accepted.

Also, newspapers, magazines, books, junk mail, file folders, greeting cards, photos, x-rays, CDs, or shredded paper should not be part of the confidential papers being shredded.

“With identity theft on the rise, this program provides a safe way to dispose of confidential papers,” Crea said. “The materials go from your vehicle into the shredding truck.”

For residents who prefer to shred documents at home, Ocean County offers Shredded Paper drop-off bins at both the Northern Ocean Recycling Center in Lakewood and the Southern Recycling Center in Stafford. The centers are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shredded paper should not be placed in curbside recycling bins as it cannot be sorted.

The County’s 2024 shredding events will be serviced by IDSAutoshred from Toms River.

For any changes in shredding dates and times due to bad weather, residents should check the County’s recycling social media pages at www.facebook.com/ocrecycles/ or www.instagram.com/ocrecycles/