Jackson Shred event protects identities, environment

JACKSON, Tenn. — The 10th annual Jackson Shred Event took place Saturday morning at Jackson Fairgrounds Park.

“It has been fantastic,” said Cynthia Wiel, director of consumer affairs at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. “Representative [Jimmy] Eldridge got here an hour before the event started. We had our biggest rush right as the event began.”

The event was for anyone to bring any document that had important information on it to be shredded. They could also bring expired medication so law enforcement could dispose of it properly. The event wasn’t just to protect people, though — it was also for the environment.

“The beautiful thing is it keeps it from going into our landfills,” Rep. Eldridge said. “All the paper that is shredded here today will be recycled.”

Most people think flushing their medicine down the drain once it’s expired is the best way to get rid of it.  However, this may do more harm than good.

“People tend to flush the stuff down the toilet, and it pollutes our waters,” Wiel said. “Rep. Eldridge said you can try to clean that out of the water system but you can never fully get those drugs out of the system.”

This is an event people look forward to each year, and Eldridge plans to continue it for years to come.

“It’s been very successful through the years,” Eldridge said. “As a matter of fact, everybody will stop me during the year and ask if I’m going to partner again and do this. I say absolutely. We plan on doing it next year.”