Redwood Credit Union Protects 3,300+ Individuals by Securely Shredding Documents and Responsibly Disposing of e-Waste

Shred-a-Thons held in Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties

Santa Rosa, Calif – This summer, more than 3,300 residents across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties took a proactive stance against fraud and identity theft. They safeguarded 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 134,940 lbs. of documents. And Conservation Corps of the North Bay collected more than 35,775 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 alone is:

• 1,153 trees saved = 29 acres

•  472,290 gallons of water saved = watering 754 lawns for 1 week

  “It’s a great feeling to look at these total numbers and recognize that we were able to help thousands of people take action to safeguard themselves from identity theft,” said Matt Martin, senior vice president of community and government relations at RCU. “Identity theft is a real risk these days, and RCU wants to help mitigate it in every way possible and provide an environmentally friendly solution for disposing of old electronics and sensitive documents.”

  At each shred-a-thon location, attendees had an opportunity to donate to a local nonprofit. In total, the events raised more than $5,600 to support Lake County Child Care Planning Council, SchoolsRule Marin, Plowshares in Mendocino, Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center in Napa, and Conversation Corps North Bay in Sonoma.

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 445,000 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, Twitter, and LinkedIn for news and updates.