Does your municipality host shredding events? Sometimes Staples/Office Depot will also have free shredding days.

I would shred. Heck, I shredded my dad’s business’ old employee records that had socials on them. from, like 1950. I had a van full of papers, including personal and business taxes, medical, finance, etc. Too much for a shred event, I took them to the shredder and for $35 watched it all shred.

Our realtors sometimes work with the banks (lenders) to host a shred event, and a local business insurance company hosts events, too.

OK, thanks. We don't shred, but use the papers as fire starters in our wood stove. I can sort some of the stuff as I'm sure old credit card statements that don't contain the full acct no. can't be of value to anyone.

I remember when I was cleaning out mother's FL home, we borrowed a neighbor's fire pit and spent an evening under the stars, burning papers.

These days, you can’t seem to trust anyone with ill intent. I would burn or shred.

Another suggestion to shred. We periodcially look through papers, each time pretty sure that we know what we have, and then find some stuff similar to what you found. We have a shredder ( actually we have 2) so shred at home. Recently we found a slew of old papers no longer needed ad saw that the neighboring municipality was having a shredding day and brought the slew there.

I have gotten more paranoid as time goes by.

Another vote for shredder.

Then why don't you just burn these, too?

Just went through this with mountains of paper at mom’s house. Took eight bags to a shreddeing place that charged and two big boxes of old tax returns to a free shredding event. I keep a grocery bag in my home office and toss stuff to be shredded in it then wait for a shredding event.

I culd have had wuite a bonfire with all that paper and i still have big box of it.

"Then why don't you just burn these, too?"

Because it's a pain to burn them and they are very old vs. when we cleared her house right after she died.

Annie, UPS stores have a shredding service. I believe with most of these services, you can witness the shredding ;)

I have shredding to do as well — see you there!

Although we have a fireplace and firepit where I could burn papers, it can be stinky and messy. Been there, done that.

We shred everything.

I have a shredder and I use it. My bank has a couple of shredding days each year - it's a commercial truck in their parking lot and they will take 10 bags or 10 boxes each. The first independent senior living place my mother lived in had a shredding event once a month!

We also burn. Not as often as we used to and cant do it here at home but still have the original family farm where we can do some things outside city limits. I have some bags of paper things put aside right now to burn. I can't let the season get away from me like I did last year because they will close the county to all burning even if rural from approx July - Sept. Those months are so dry here, little rain. I can occasionally thin out enough old paper work and things that were my mothers I'm working through that it can be a little tedious with my home office shredder.

We have a nephew with small children living at the farm. The littles want to help and they are young enough to require close supervision. I try to plan it for a time they are not at home 😊

I would not put things with as much personal information included into recycling as former tax returns.. Not even if old - I just couldn't.

I find feeding my little shredder sort of theraputic. Strange, I know.

I shred and compost.

My goodness. Fourteen years after her death I don't think you need to worry about identity theft or any other issues. If concerned, take it to a commercial shredding place. The one I use charges next to nothing for small loads. When I say small, keep in mind it normally handles scrap paper by the ton. A hundred pounds, more than I usually take, is gladly accepted (and shredded in my presence) for a nominal charge.

Burning paper is bad for the environment. Better it be properly disposed of and recycled.

" We don't shred, but use the papers as fire starters in our wood stove. "

I too have a wood burning stove. Husband is adamant that the cerisote (?) from paper goes up the chimney and damages it.

I took papers, smaller in volume than a toaster oven, to my bank and it was added to banks pile of paperwork to be shredded---gratis. That was at the end of disposing 40 + years of paperwork. Now I purge everything older than 10 years. I do this once a month so I can cut the account and SS numbers out of the paperwork. That gets shredded and the mostly whole papers get recycled.

I burn them in the wood stove, firestarters as you mentioned. No worries about shredding or hauling them away.

Shred then burn is our usual. Shredded paper works great to start the fireplace up.

"Because it's a pain to burn them and they are very old vs. when we cleared her house right after she died."

What does age of the documents have to do with burning them? Old paper burns, too.

I keep coming back to see what kind of fraud could possibly be committed with this info. Any institution that runs the SSN will find out she’s deceased.

" Fourteen years after her death I don't think you need to worry about identity theft or any other issues. "

" what kind of fraud could possibly be committed with this info. "

Identity theft is still a possibility, using the name and personal details of a real person - not identity theft as in pretending to be that person, but identity theft as in using the personal details to gain other legitimate identification and use it fraudulently. From the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/deceased-person-identity-theft

" Identity theft is still a possibility "

To what end or consequence then for someone long gone? I was giving real world advice, not the result of an internet search as you did on a subject you know nothing about.

The IRS site is fine for a quick reference to rules but is a disaster when it comes to advice. The IRS disavows any responsibility for advice it gives, including over the phone. Most Americans know that.

Stick to dogs and cats.

If someone does something fraudulent in my deceased father’s name, how does it become my problem?

ETA - I’d probably dispose of the stuff safely as well, as it’s nobody’s business, I just don’t see an actual risk here.

" To what end or consequence then for someone long gone? "

" If someone does something fraudulent in my deceased father’s name, how does it become my problem? "

It is A problem - a societal problem - not specifically your individual problem. We all feel the effects of societal problems and crimes every day, so that still sounds like something I'd be willing to invest a bit in trying to reduce.

But, hey, I live in a different country, so maybe you're OK with only worrying about yourself and not also about your neighbours and communities.

maybe you're OK with only worrying about yourself and not also about your neighbours and communities.

And maybe you could have made your point without making insinuations about me and my care for my society. Or maybe you couldn’t.

mxk3: "What does age of the documents have to do with burning them? Old paper burns, too."

It's not the age of the paper, but, for example, if she was recently deceased, her bank accounts may still be active, credit cards not yet canceled, estate matters yet to be settled, etc. Now that she's well past the 7 year document retention rule of thumb, I question whether or not her info could still be used to do damage or if it could be fraudulently adopted for nefarious purposes.

It's probably just a memory from movies or books where people are taking on new identities, but I was under the impression that those taken from deceased persons were of more value than those that were made up randomly...

Even stuff from deceased people can still make the rounds. My FIL died in 1989 and we never bothered to change his name on a magazine that we receive...just keep renewing with the same name. It's funny to see us get insurance offers because he has a safe driving record! Also for some unknown reason, my aunt's name will appear on mail we receive. Mind you she never lived with us, and had my maiden name not my married name, and passed away over 25 years ago, but suddenly it will appear. Go figure.

Our local UPS outlet has a shredding per pound service. Unlike our bank where the shredding can take place in front of us, documents at the UPS store here are put into a container said to be locked and picked up by a contractor, taken elsewhere. It very well could be safe, confidential. I have no way of knowing if it is and haven't used it.

" If someone does something fraudulent in my deceased father’s name, how does it become my problem? "

It doesn't.

" It is A problem - a societal problem - not specifically your individual problem. ":

Having gotten caught saying something obviously incorrect and in an effort to back away, this was offered. Ridiculous.

" obviously incorrect "

I said nothing "obviously incorrect". I said something you don't agree with.

Keep trying.

" And maybe you could have made your point without making insinuations about me and my care for my society. Or maybe you couldn’t. "

I considered that, but changed my mind when Elmer insulted me. You got caught in the same post because of your same question.

Rho, your husband is right. A build up of creosote in your chimney (which can happen by burning paper) can catch on fire causing a chimney fire which could end up being a house fire. My dad used to say that and then I looked it up because I used to use newspaper to start fires in the fireplace. I imagine it would take a lot of time burning lots of paper, though. If chimney sweeps clean and inspect the chimney regularly, shouldn't be a problem.

I use paper to start fires, but my woodstove burns very hot and clean, with properly aged wood. I have the chimney checked for creosote every couple of years (and to make sure the pipe is still intact), and there is never any creosote for them to clean.

I think the danger to the chimney is a function of how it's burned. When I was a kid, we had a chimney fire once because someone decided to try to burn the pizza box. It got so hot and the flames so high, it set the chimney on fire.

We use the paper under logs and kindling just to start the fires...we don't add more, so it's no different than using newspapers to start a fire.

I will do my internet reading while mindlessly tearing papers, dropping the pieces into a box or paper bag. The torn paper then goes to the compost, or gets placed directly under mulch on our ornamental garden or in our orchard.

Shredding events are a good resource for quantities of paper to shred. For occasional documents, I shred and mix them with food scraps into my Sub Pod (worm bin).

matthias, my fingers are getting tired just thinking of that!

Annie, I have had two shredders. Both cheap ones from Walmart. The second is great. It is a cross-cut, and you do want that. It has it's own bucket fot the trash and can take some staples, although I do tear most out. It also shreds credit cards.

Just shred a few sheets at a time and dump into the kitchen garbage. Then toss into the weelky pickup. I just do some at a time.

If something only has a cover page with personal info, I shred that and toss the booklet into the kitchen garbage unshredded.

Our recycling doesn’t want shredded paper, said it clogs the processing machines or scatters around and generally makes a mess. So we put it the shred in the trash.

I am naive, I guess. If the estate has settled, what harm to Annie, and other heirs, may happen if a bad person tries to use the info found on 14 year old paperwork?

It's cathartic to burn it. That's what I did with the notes I took in classes once I graduated. I would imagine cleaning out Mom's stuff, it could need a bit of catharsis, send it out into the the universe.

" I am naive, I guess. "

No you're not, you get it. It's not complicated to understand.

The dumps I've been to have recycling areas to the side where items that fall under that moniker can be dropped off. Multiple bins, multiple areas for various things. Cardboard press balers to prepare large bales for transport. It's not so much a service as that they're required to make an effort to keep those things out of their landfills.

There's nothing more cathartic for me than to take a load of junk to the dump, supplemented with whatever recyclables have either accumulated or are too large to easily fit in the recycling bin. Plus doing the catharsis this way does good and doesn't produce the environmental and health damages that burning does.

My neighbor was burning records and applications from their former tenants, burning in the back yard (which is not allowed in our community, but anyway…) and pieces went flying that did have information on them. Probably not enough to be stolen and used, but still…

Catharsis at the Dump! Great possible title for something! My DH looooves going to the dump, the more stuff in the car the better. Starts at the yard waste, then the paper and plastic, then electronics, metal, and general. If he has something for the oversize-items dumpster, he’s almost giddy with excitement. Every week when he takes the yard clippings, he goes around the house asking “can I take this to the dump?”

Do people really troll through garbage/trash? Where? Curbside? At a landfill? There have to be easier ways to steal information.

Both United HealthCare and a Chicago hospital empire have had their records systems held for ransom recently. Surely that's enough supply of 'identities' to satisfy the fraudsters for ages.

On topic, I wonder what use is made of these identities, other than establishing credit in false names. We froze our credit reports ages ago to prevent that, but what are the other ways identity theft can turn your life upside down?

Well, since I graduated twice (decided against the third time, though Loyola does keep contacting me about the Master's program, I'm done), I think burning papers one time is hardly worth mentioning.