I've been writing about Phoenix for many years, and it is rare that I get a question from a reader that I haven't seen before.

I’ve scoured the about.com site and either its not there, or I’m an idiot! I’ve got the equivalent of a ream of paper that I’d like to shred but it would take days with my personal shredder! Do you know of a place that offers free shredding for small homeowner amounts of paper? North Phoenix would be my first choice as I live near I-17 and Happy Valley. Thanks so much!

Well, you are definitely not an idiot. You couldn't find it because it wasn't there --no one ever asked me before! I have a pretty big shredder (Compare Prices) at home, because I shred all my mail when I am done with it, and at the end of the year I shred all my noncritical records and receipts, like phone bills and water bills, that I don't need for tax purposes. People who have a small shredder can do a few items at a time, like deposit slips, but if you have several pounds or a ream of paper, or you are cleaning out a house or shredding papers from your home business, a personal shredder may take too long. Here's what I found out about your question.

I did a search on the Internet and called the Arizona Center for the Blind. What a timely call! It so happens that they are having a Shred-A-Thon this coming Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their yard located at 302 S. 28th Street in Phoenix (28th Street and Washington). You'll be well within their restrictions, since their limit is 5 regular bankers boxes per person. There is a charge per box over that amount.

Shred-A-Thons in the Greater Phoenix area are often sponsored by government agencies and banks, since those are the organizations that are trying to increase public awareness of identity theft. Each Shred-A-Thon may have different restrictions on the amount of free shredding they will do. They want to make sure that everyone who wants to use the free service gets a chance. In general, if you are looking for free paper shredding, here are four places you can call to inquire:

1. The Attorney General's Office periodically works with local recycling companies to sponsors Shred-A-Thons. Call them at 602-542-2123 to see if one is scheduled near you.
2. The Better Business Bureau also sponsors Shred-A-Thons with local recycling companies. You can call them at 602-264-1721 to see if one is scheduled near you.
3. Some local recyclers do their own Shred-A-Thons to promote their business. Sometimes they give out coupons at those events. You'd have to check the phone book and call some to find out.
4. Your bank may offer free shredding from time to time.

Tip: When searching online for a Shred-A-Thon, use the name of the city with those words, like Tempe Shred-A-Thon, or Goodyear Shred-A-Thon. Make sure that if you are searching for Glendale or Peoria that you specify Arizona, since you don't want to end up with California or Illinois information. Finally, make sure you read the date of the announcement! It won't do you any good to get directions to a Shred-A-Thon that happened in 2006!