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Politics & Government

Mayor's Desk: Paper Recycling and a Congratulations

Harrison Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh discusses local issues in her weekly column.

Going, Going, Gone — A Better Way to get rid of some documents

There is so much paper that comes into our homes these days. Much of it we toss in the trash – but in these days of identity theft, that may not be too sensible. One solution is to buy your own shredder, but then it is a nuisance to rip off our address label or other identifying lines, turn on the shredder, stick in that little piece of paper and then later empty the bin with all those bits of paper that inevitably float down to the floor to be swept up. 

There is another solution. To help with the problem, the town has scheduled a visit from the county’s massive truck-sized shredder, on Saturday, March 12, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m in the railroad parking lot at the corner of Halstead and Harrison Avenues. 

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This is for residents only, your personal papers, not office files or records. You may bring as many as four boxes of paper, but there are certain rules you must follow, which are listed below.  So, this is the time to get rid of ancient IRS returns, mortgage documents, junk mail, bank statements from – how many years ago?  I tend to save paper long after the time required, so will be bringing my share of boxes, after having removed the paper clips, fasteners, etc. 

The County suggestions and guidelines are as follows: 
To prevent identify theft, it's best to shred documents you're no longer using or need, such as old documents and bills that bear personal identifying information  IE: name, address, phone number, credit card number or social security number. Such documents should be shredded before they are put in the garbage, or trash bins for recycling. 

Some examples are: 

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  • Junk mail  
  • Old utility bills 
  • Driver licenses 
  • Expired credit cards and receipts 
  • Old tax returns or any other documents containing your name, address and other identifying information  
  • Pre-approved credit card applications  
  • Solicitation letters  
  • Old Medicare and Medicaid receipts 
  • Old checkbooks 

Come prepared. This means you've removed all metal clips, fasteners, binders, folders and hard covers and placed the papers loosely in a box. Hard covers —cardboard or plastic covers on items such as ledger books, marble composition books and hard-cover books — cannot be shredded and will be turned away. Residents must rip pages out from hard cover books for shredding and throw the covers in their regular household trash. Up to four boxes of papers are allowed for shredding. 

This is your opportunity to empty drawers, file cabinets, shelves and bookcases. Perhaps, as you prepare your income tax forms, you’ll find you can fill at least one box with items once thought necessary but now supplanted by later versions. Then, you can start saving/collecting all over again. 

GRAMMY WINNER IN HARRISON:  GEORGE MARINO 

Congratulations to Harrison resident George Marino for his Grammy win. "Arcade Fire Winds Album of the Year, mastered by George Marino of Sterling Sound."

In every endeavor, the details are almost as important to the end result as the initial concept. So, congratulations, George, for the great sound on this album.

I-287 PLANTING PLAN FOR WEST OF WHITE PLAINS AVE. BRIDGE. 

I need more time to decipher this material, so this information will be delayed until next week. 

PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY IS THIS MONDAY, FEB. 21. 

Remember:  This Feb. 21 is a holiday – Presidents’ Day.  Sanitation collections will be changed: Monday pick-ups will be on Tuesday. Tuesday pick-ups will be on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday stay the same. 

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