AARP Shreds Nearly Seven Tons of Paper at Day of Service Events; Effort Saves 168 Trees, Educates Hundreds About Identity Theft

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Hundreds of West Virginians were educated about identity theft and safely disposed of documents containing personal information at four AARP national Day of Service events statewide on Thursday, May 8.

AARP West Virginia, the AARP Foundation, AARP chapters, volunteers and retired school employees took part in AARP’s national day of service by hosting four “Fight Fraud–Shred Instead” events in Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg, and Wheeling. D & M Document Services, a family-owned company based in Sophia in Raleigh County, provided commercial shredding trucks and crews for all four events.

Nearly 14,000 pounds–or seven tons–of paper was shredded at the events, which were free and open to the public. According to Conservatree.org, it takes 24 trees to make a ton of uncoated office paper, the most typical type shredded during the AARP events. That means the Thursday Day of Service effort saved 168 trees.

D & M will transport the shredded paper to a recycling center in Kentucky where it will be transformed into household paper products, including toilet paper and paper towels. D & M owner Lonnie Jesse said his company recycles enough shredded paper each year to equal more than 62,000 trees. Jesse oversaw the shredding operation in Charleston while his adult children and grandchildren staffed the events in Beckley, Clarksburg and Wheeling. The Wheeling event was held at Kroger, while the three other events were held at Wal-Mart Supercenters.

AARP’s 14 West Virginia staff members plus more than 50 AARP chapter members, volunteers and members of the West Virginia Association of Retired School employees were involved in the shredding effort.