Carol at Work
When you go to a Document Shredding and Recycling event you might not think about what goes into making the event. We'd like to give you a behind the scenes glimpse at what ReWorks' Program Manager, Carol Giulitto, does to make this program a success!
Carol, What Goes into Selecting a Site?
First, the site must be a public location such as a municipality, school, park etc. No private properties. I then work on getting permission from the local city/entity who owns the property. Second, I need to make sure that the location has enough space for the event and is easy to enter/exit.
We have been very lucky to have the same municipalities with either the same or similar locations since 2012.
Some aspects for size I consider when selecting a site:
- The driveway to enter must be long enough to accommodate at least 50 cars prior to the event opening. Our biggest concern is having our traffic back up out onto the road where the shredding site is located.
- We also must have enough space for 4 large trucks from the shredding company in order to accommodate the amount of material we collect during the 3 hours.
How Much Is Collected & Recycled on Average at an Event?
On average, we collect approximately 26,000 pounds of documents per event. All of what we collect is shredded on site and then recycled. (You can also look at this as an average of 8,666 pounds per hour or 144 pounds per minute!)
Do You Collect Anything Else Other Than Paper?
Just paper documents!
How Many Years Has the Reworks' Document Shredding & Recycling Event Taken Place?
ReWorks' Document Shredding and Recycling program started in 2006 with 1 event at our contractor's location in Akron. It has since grown to 6 locations each year.
In the earlier years, we had several more locations, but we found that when we consolidated to just 6 locations, we were able to serve the majority of the residents in Summit County with just 6 locations that are strategically placed throughout Summit County. This allows for better efficiency and cost effectiveness.
How Much Paper Has This Program Recycled over the Course of Its Time?
Any Tips to Help People Make the Process Easier?
- The first hour is always the busiest time, so I suggest coming after the 10 o'clock hour. Our hours are 9 to 12 and we close promptly at 12 so don't be late!
- Bring your paper in either cardboard file boxes or paper bags so we can recycle everything! Our limit is 10 file boxes or bags per car.
- Try to make sure the boxes/bags are not too heavy to make it easier for our workers to unload. (Remember they have to lift on average 144 pounds every minute for 3 hours straight!)
- Remove plastic/metal binders, metal clips, and file folders with metal hangers on them. These items can cause issues when the documents are placed into the shredder.
- Be sure to sort through your paper before giving it to us. We have found many personal items and mementos left in resident's shredding boxes. Some personal items can be detrimental to our shredding equipment and also to the safety of our workers.
What Is Your Favorite Part of This?
My favorite part of the shredding events is the interaction with our Summit County residents and working directly with our local municipalities. I love talking to our residents on a one on one basis and the availability to answer all the questions they have concerning all the services that ReWorks provide.
Our document shredding events are free and a very secure way for a resident to get rid of outdated/unwanted paper with the added benefit of all the material being recycled instead of going to a landfill.
Also, we provide many other services to our Summit County residents such as our seasonal Household Hazardous Waste Center located in Stow, Ohio, recycling education for all of our residents in Summit County and a small volume recycling program for the businesses in Summit County, among many other services that provide answers and solutions on how to reduce the waste that ultimately ends up in our landfills from the residents of Summit County. We are a small staff of 5 at ReWorks, but we hope to make a big impact in Summit County.