No public hearings or city/town council meetings are scheduled this week in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford. That leaves more time for decluttering the home and sprucing up the yard and neighborhood.
Tuesday: Shred-a-thon in Christiansburg, plus what to keep and what to shred
On Tuesday from 3-6 p.m., Christiansburg Parks and Recreation will host its annual, drive-through Shred-a-thon at the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park. Per vehicle, the shredding limit is three boxes or plastic totes no larger than 22.5 by 11.5 inches.
According to the event webpage, shredding unwanted documents helps protect identifying information and prevent identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following timeline for shredding certain documents:
- Shred immediately: sales receipts, ATM receipts, paid credit card statements, paid utility bills, credit offers, cancelled checks that are not tax-related, expired warranties.
- Shred with one year: pay stubs, bank statements, paid medical bills that are undisputed.
- Shred after seven years: tax-related receipts, tax-related cancelled checks, W-2s, records for tax deductions taken.
- Various:
- auto titles: keep as long as you own the vehicle,
- home deeds: keep as long as you own the property,
- disputed medical bills: keep until the issue is resolved,
- home improvement receipts: keep until you sell your home and pay any capital gains taxes.
- Keep forever in a locked location: birth certificates, Social Security cards, marriage or divorce decrees, citizenship papers, adoption papers, death certificates, tax returns.
The Christiansburg Shred-a-thon is a drive-through event. Participants should stay in their car in the line of vehicles.
Items that cannot be shredded include metal, three-ring binders, composition notebooks, hanging file folders, paint brushes, padlocks, hardback books, keys, eyeglasses and bungee cords.
Thursday-Saturday: Hahn Horticulture Garden Plant Sale
This week the Hahn Horticulture Garden in Blacksburg will host a three-day plant sale of over 4,000 houseplants, annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, shrubs and trees…