Bring your old documents. We shred them on site, for free, while you watch. The Northfield Township Road District runs seven shredding events in 2027, from Earth Day through September.
At a glance
- Free for Northfield Township residents — Glenview, Northbrook and Northfield.
- Every event runs 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Leave the staples and paper clips in. You do not need to remove them.
- Shredding is done on site by ShredSpot — i-SIGMA certified, HIPAA- and FACTA-compliant.
- Please bring proof of Northfield Township residency.
- Questions? Call 847.724.7055.
2027 Event Dates
| Date | Time | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday April 17 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Earth Day event — with the Village of Northbrook Northbrook location to be announced | To be confirmed |
| Saturday May 22 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Road District Yard 237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook | Confirmed |
| Saturday June 26 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Road District Yard 237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook | Confirmed |
| Wednesday July 14 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Weekday event North Shore Senior Center 161 Northfield Road, Northfield | To be confirmed |
| Saturday July 24 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Road District Yard 237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook | Confirmed |
| Saturday August 21 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Road District Yard 237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook | Confirmed |
| Saturday September 18 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | “Operation Shred It & Forget It” — season finale Road District Yard 237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook | Confirmed |
Three dates worth circling
Saturday, April 17 — Earth Day, with the Village of Northbrook
Our Earth Day event is co-sponsored with the Village of Northbrook and opens the season. Earth Day 2027 falls on a Thursday, so the event moves to the nearest clear weekend. The date and location are being finalized with the Village and will be posted here as soon as they are set.
Wednesday, July 14 — a weekday option at the North Shore Senior Center
Not everyone can make a Saturday. As we did in 2026, one event runs midweek at the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield — same hours, same free service, and easy parking. This date is pending final confirmation with the Senior Center.
Saturday, September 18 — “Operation Shred It & Forget It”
Our largest event and the close of the season. This is the one to plan for if you are clearing out a filing cabinet, a basement or an estate. Extra trucks are on hand, so bring the boxes you have been putting off.
What to bring
Anything with your personal information on it — the paperwork identity thieves look for:
- Bank and brokerage statements
- Tax returns and supporting records
- Medical and insurance records
- Pre-approved credit offers and old credit card statements
- Canceled checks, pay stubs and utility bills
Staples and paper clips are fine. Please remove binder clips, three-ring binders and plastic sleeves. We cannot take electronic media at shredding events — hard drives, CDs and DVDs go to the recycling yard instead.
How much can I bring?
This is a residential service, not a business one. Household quantities are welcome. If you are clearing out decades of files, please call ahead at 847.724.7055 so we can plan truck capacity — or come to the September 18 event, when we have the most capacity.
How long should I keep it before I shred it?
The Federal Trade Commission publishes plain-English guidance on this. The short version:
| Keep it for… | What that covers |
|---|---|
| Shred now | ATM and deposit receipts, pre-approved credit offers, expired warranties, old prescription labels, expired IDs, cleared checks (after about two weeks) |
| About 1 year | Bank statements, pay stubs, credit card bills, utility bills, paid medical bills — shred the paper sooner if you can get them online |
| At least 3 years | Tax returns and everything supporting them — W-2s, 1099s, receipts. The IRS asks for longer in some cases. |
| As long as you own it | Vehicle titles, home deed and mortgage papers, home improvement receipts, appliance warranties |
| Forever — and locked up | Birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, marriage and divorce records, military records, wills, key medical records. Do not shred these. |
How we choose the dates
Residents ask about this every year, so here is the reasoning behind the 2027 calendar.
We schedule around the holidays — all of them. Every candidate Saturday from April through October is checked against Jewish, Christian and Islamic observances as well as federal holidays, so that no resident has to choose between an observance and a shredding event. Mother's Day and Father's Day weekends are treated the same way and are left open.
A midweek holiday moves the event, it does not cancel it. Earth Day 2027 is a Thursday, and the following weekend falls inside Passover — so the Earth Day event shifts to the weekend before rather than the weekend after.
There is no October event in 2027. The calendar simply does not allow one. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah fall across October's first four Saturdays, and the Columbus Day weekend overlaps as well. The only remaining Saturday is October 30, which is Halloween weekend. Rather than schedule an event most residents could not attend, we added a seventh date in the summer instead. The season closes on September 18.
Identity theft: help and official resources
Shredding is one piece of protecting yourself. These are official federal and State of Illinois resources — no fees, no sign-ups, no companies selling you anything.
If you think it has already happened to you
- IdentityTheft.gov — the Federal Trade Commission's official reporting site. Report the theft and get a personalized, step-by-step recovery plan. Or call 1-877-438-4338.
- Illinois Attorney General Identity Theft Hotline — 1-866-999-5630. Trained advocates walk Illinois residents through reporting, repairing credit and preventing repeat problems. Details at the Attorney General's identity theft page.
- IRS Identity Theft Central — if someone has filed a tax return in your name, or for an Identity Protection PIN.
Preventing it in the first place
- FTC — Which documents to keep and which to shred. The source of the table above.
- FTC — Credit freezes and fraud alerts. A credit freeze stops anyone from opening credit in your name. It is free to place and free to lift, and it does not affect your credit score.
- FTC Consumer Advice — Identity Theft. The full library of guidance.
- USAGov — Identity theft. A short, readable overview with warning signs to watch for.
- Identity Theft Resource Guide for Illinois Consumers (PDF) — from the Illinois Attorney General, written for Illinois law.
For older residents and their families
Seniors are targeted disproportionately, often by phone and mail. The Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine is 1-800-252-8966, and financial exploitation can be reported to the Adult Protective Services hotline at 1-866-800-1409, 24 hours a day. See Reporting Fraud from the Illinois Department on Aging.
The Road District provides these links as a public service. We are not affiliated with these agencies and do not collect or keep any of your personal information.
Questions
Northfield Township Road District
237 Melvin Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: 847.724.7055
Email: ntroad@northfieldtownship.com
Mike Korman, Highway Commissioner