Redwood Credit Union Protects More Than 3,000 People by Securely Shredding Documents and Responsibly Disposing of e-Waste

Santa Rosa, Calif. – This summer, more than 3,000 residents across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties took a proactive stance against fraud and identity theft. They protected their personal information by participating in Redwood Credit Union's free Shred-a-Thons, responsibly disposing of old financial records and paperwork.

Shred-It trucks were onsite at each event to help communities safely dispose of and recycle 134,280 lbs. of documents. And Conservation Corps of the North Bay collected 25,383 lbs. of e-waste, including old TVs, printers, monitors, computers, and other personal electronics for secure recycling. To put that in perspective, the environmental impact of the shredded paper RCU collected is:

·       1,145 trees saved = 6.9 acres of forest

·       469,980 gallons of water saved = watering 690 lawns for a week

“These free events help thousands of people safeguard their financial information, while also protecting the environment by reducing landfill waste and offering safe disposal of electronics,” said Matt Martin, senior vice president of community and government relations at RCU. “When e-waste isn’t disposed of properly, toxic materials can be released, harming our ecosystem and posing health risks. It’s deeply rewarding to be a part of an event that continues to have such a significant social impact on our communities.”

Redwood Credit Union is committed to information security and helping people protect themselves from fraud. In addition to offering these annual Shred-a-Thons, RCU has a robust online fraud education center with helpful articles and videos on how to avoid fraud, scams, and identity theft.

At each Shred-a-Thon location, attendees had an opportunity to donate to a local nonprofit. In total, the events raised more than $7,000 to support the Lake County Child Care Planning Council, Redwood Empire Food Bank, SchoolsRule Marin, Plowshares in Mendocino, and Puertas Abiertas in Napa.

About Redwood Credit Union Founded in 1950, Redwood Credit Union is a full-service financial institution providing personal and business banking to consumers and businesses in the North Bay and San Francisco. With a mission to passionately serve the best interests of its Members, team members, and communities, RCU delivers many ways for its Members to save and build money through checking and savings accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, digital banking, business services, commercial and SBA lending, and more. Wealth management and investment services are available through CUSO Financial Services L.P., and insurance and auto-purchasing services are also offered through RCU Services Group (RCU’s wholly owned subsidiary). RCU has more than $8 billion in assets and serves more than 465,000 members with full-service branches from San Francisco to Ukiah. For more information, call 1 (800) 479-7928, visit redwoodcu.org, or follow RCU on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn for news and updates.

# # #