City adds tree giveaway to shredding and recycling event Saturday in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s time to dig out those boxes of documents you’ve been waiting to shred!

The city of Jacksonville, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and Republic Services are hosting their annual free paper shredding and recycling event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center parking lot. The address is 1000 Water St., Jacksonville.

James Cook, vice chairman of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful, said there will be a limit of how much each person can shred, but he said for the most part, they just don’t want someone trying to bring truckloads of documents.

He said they’ll be able to shred invoices, bank statements, credit card statements, copy paper and more. They will also be accepting recycling items, including

  • Cardboard
  • Shoeboxes
  • Cereal boxes
  • Envelopes
  • Magazines
  • Newspapers
  • Cartons

They will NOT accept any liquids, electronics or hazardous waste.

The event, in observance of America Recycles Day, a nationwide initiative spearheaded by Keep America Beautiful, will also include a tree giveaway for the first time.

Greenscape of Jacksonville is providing more than 2,000 trees to residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event was originally scheduled for Nov. 14 but was pushed back by the city when Tropical Storm Eta threatened the area.

The event will follow COVID-19 best practices, which means the shredding drop off and tree pick up will be staged on a drive-thru course in the parking lot.

The public must wear masks and remain in their vehicles. Masked volunteers will assist in removing paper for shredding and placing tree selections in vehicle trunks.

The 3-gallon container trees being given away include the following species:

  • Natchez Crape Myrtle (White)
  • Tuscarora Crape Myrtle (Coral)
  • Southern Magnolia
  • Dahoon Holly
  • Fringetree
  • Red Maple
  • Live Oak
  • Bald Cypress
  • Redbud

For more information, including COVID-19-related safety measures, visit coj.net/AmericaRecycles2020, or call the city’s Neighborhood Services Office at 904-255-8250 or Greenscape at 904-398-5757.


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.