FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY: Shred bag buyers encouraged to bring filled bags to last library shred truck visit

SUBMITTED BY MELODY SNURE
FOL president

The last dates when Dalton Friends of the Library shred bag customers can bring filled bags to a truck at the Dalton library will be Thursday, April 21 and Saturday, April 23. Bags will be accepted from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m-noon Saturday.

For the past five years Dalton FOL had partnered with Reed Records Management of Wooster to sell shred bags at the library and, twice a year, provide the shred truck at the library for pickup. Late last year the company sold its records management division and its shred truck.

For the Dalton Library pickups in April, the company will bring a secure van from its Reed Warehouses division. Following the Dalton stops the van will transport filled shred bags to a Medina facility where bags are dissolved in an acid bath and the paper pulp is recycled into low-grade paper products. Bags will not be shredded on site at the library.

Melody Snure, president of Dalton FOL, said the group has enjoyed working with the Reed staff on the successful fundraiser. “Not only have we appreciated our shred bag customers, the customers have told library staff and FOL volunteers that they appreciate being able to purchase shred bags in Dalton,” Snure said.

Though the company no longer does its own shredding, Reed continues to sell shred bags at its Wooster location, 2730 Akron Road (Route 585 north of Back Orrville Road). Bags are kept secure and are regularly taken to Medina for shredding.

For the foreseeable future, shred bags will continue to be sold at the Dalton Library at $8 each. A portion of each bag sale is retained by FOL to help the Dalton Library purchase unbudgeted materials, particularly for the children’s area, and to sponsor special programs. Following the April truck visits to Dalton, filled bags must be taken by customers directly to the Reed facility in Wooster.

“While we are sorry we can no longer offer the service of accepting filled shred bags,” said Snure, “we know many Dalton area residents go to Wooster for various reasons. We hope they will continue to buy bags at our library and take them when full to Wooster so our library can continue to benefit from the sales.”

Snure said they sold about 200 bags a year, about a third of which came back filled at each truck visit. Because they put an identifying FOL label on each bag they sell, they know that many people take filled bags directly to the Reed facility in Wooster.

“The Reed people took delight in telling us about seeing “our” bags coming back for shredding in between Dalton truck visits,” Snure said in an email. “It was such a good partnership that when people took bags to Wooster and saw that they also sold the bags for $8 each there, they sometimes asked to purchase more bags there. Reed owner Keith Eriksen said he would tell them he could sell them bags, but if they bought them at the Dalton library instead, FOL would get part of the $8 to benefit the library!
“What we don’t know is how many people still have bags at home, some purchased in previous years but not yet returned to the truck or to Wooster. We hope lots of people see this and bring them to the truck this month.”

Thanks to shred bag sales, FOL’s overall bank balance held steady even during 2020 when, because of COVID, FOL had to cancel truck visits and couldn’t sell bags during the several months the library was closed. Pent-up demand was so great when things opened back up that booming bag sales enabled FOL to fund several library special needs including a new lighted Christmas tree and a portable sound system used for outdoor programs on the library lawn.

Snure encourages everyone who currently has shred bags purchased from the library to bring the filled bags to the April 21 and 23 library truck stops.

The library is at 127 S. Church St. For more information, call 330-828-8486.