TOMS RIVER – Residential documents holding important personal information can be safely disposed of during Ocean County’s free Residential Document Shredding Program.
The programs kicks off on April 4 with the first shredding site in Lakewood. Eleven more collections will be held across the spring and fall months a different locations throughout the County.
“This is the 15th year we have offered this free service to our residents,” said Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, liaison to the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management. “It adds another layer of protection against identity theft for our residents and it is a very popular program. We receive requests from residents all year asking for information on this program.”
In 2024, nearly 4,500 households accessed the program and 92 tons of documents were shredded.
Ocean County encourages residents to bring those documents that include sensitive information like bank account numbers or social security numbers that should not be tossed out in the trash. There is a limit of 4 boxes or clear bags totaling no more than 100 pounds of confidential documents per car.
Commercial documents are not accepted nor are newspapers, magazines, books, junk mail, greetings cards, photos, x-rays, CDs or shredded paper. Paper clips and staples do not have to be removed from documents that are shredded.
“There are many benefits to using this program,” Sadeghi noted. “You can attend any date or location, which makes it easily accessible and convenient for our residents.”
The dates and locations for the upcoming spring shredding events are: April 4, 1 America Ave., Lakewood; April 26, 630 Pinewald Keswick Ave., Berkeley Township; May 17, 379 Haywood Road, Stafford Township; May 31, 117 Wells Mills Road, Waretown; June 7, 95 West Veterans Highway, Jackson Township, and June 28, 2300 Panther Path, Point Pleasant.
The fall shredding event dates and locations are: Sept. 6, 101 South Colonial Drive, Manchester Township; Sept. 13, 820 Municipal Lane, Lacey Township; Sept. 19, 250 Riverwood Drive, Toms River; Oct. 4, 836 Ridge Road, Brick Township; Oct. 18, 1 Sports Complex Drive, Little Egg Harbor Township and Oct. 25, 1600 Pinewald Road, Beachwood.
All events run from 9 a.m. to noon or until the truck fills.
“The Ocean County Board of Commissioners is pleased to provide this service to our residents,” said Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners John P. Kelly. “While it has many environmental benefits it also provides a layer of protection against scammers for our residents. I encourage our residents to use it.”
There is no registration required to use this service. For everyone’s safety, residents must stay in their vehicles at all times while dropping off documents. Materials should be kept in the trunk of the car, a cargo area or truck bed easily accessible to be removed from by staff.
For residents who shred documents at home, Ocean County offers shredded paper drop off bins at both the Northern Ocean County Recycling Center, in Lakewood, and the Southern Ocean County Recycling Center in Stafford Township. The centers are open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Shredded paper should not be placed in curbside recycling bins as it cannot be sorted like other recyclables.
