Paper, paper — everywhere!
That’s how it seems when I do organizing around my house. There’s piles and piles and piles of mail on tables and in bags and boxes.
The vast majority of it is unsolicited — commonly referred to as direct mailing. So, let me make this public declaration:
I have all the credit cards I need.
No, I’m not interested in your auto and home warranties.
No, I am not looking to sell my home, nor am I in the market for insurance or internet service providers.
I have never used campaign paraphernalia sent through the mail to determine who will get my vote. (There was a time long ago when I actually pledged to vote for the candidate who didn’t stuff my mailbox.)
Don’t call me. I’ll call you.
Like most of you, I’m afraid to let go of all of that mail that’s piling up. Theft of personal information is a very real concern. I have burned up more than one paper shredder trying to get rid of the darned stuff, and others have told me similar tales.
Add to that the amount of time we spend shredding it, and we’re wasting our lives and money protecting our information, thanks to those who freely send us materials we neither want nor ask for.
The numbers bear out that we’re bombarded with direct mail. According to the Postal Regulatory Commission, 112 billion pieces of mail were delivered in the U.S. in 2024. That averages out to almost 331 pieces mail per man, woman and child.
Yet, according to the commission, that’s actually down from the previous year and 50% less than 2006, the peak year when a record 213 billion pieces of mail were delivered.
The Fairfield Glade Police Department is to be applauded for providing its community a much-needed service last week by bringing in a shredding truck to help residents safely dispose of documents. It’s something the department and the Glade’s Neighborhood Watch Coalition do routinely, and it would be fantastic to see other agencies joining in.
Document shredding is one of the ways Kingston’s Michael Dunn Center serves the community while raising needed funding. Businesses or agencies can arrange for a truck to stop by for shredding on site, or the center has a massive industrial shredder at its facility.
For a donation, the public can simply make an appointment, take the documents to the center at the appointed time and watch as all the paper is decimated. It’s a necessary service for the public, and it helps the Michael Dunn Center with the work programs it implements for the developmentally disabled clients it serves.
The service would dovetail perfectly with those already provided by the Cumberland County Recycling Center. The county could either invest in a shredder similar to that of the Michael Dunn Center or contract with a service that would come to shred one a locked bin is filled. It would be more beneficial for all of us to go in together to pay for one mighty shredder or service than to fill up the recycling center with the gadgets we’re breaking on trying to shred at home.
Until we come up with a solution, I’ll be looking out for the next truck to come to the community.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check my mailbox. I think I see a pile of mail that’s looking a bit sparse …
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Cheryl Duncan is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. Readers can reach her at cduncan@crossville-chronicle.com or 931-484-5145.