Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina announces today that electronics recycler GEEP will participate in their spring “Secure Your ID” Day, Saturday, April 18, 2015. The identity protection, document shredding and electronics recycling event will take place from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Coastal Federal Credit Union headquarters on St. Albans Drive and Lafayette Village on Falls of the Neuse Road.

“Used electronics contain sensitive information, but also contain materials that are hazardous to the environment. Our mission is to encourage consumers and businesses to recycle their electronics responsibly,” says Frank Grima, vice president of operations and general manager at GEEP North Carolina. “This will bring us one step closer to protecting sensitive information and creating a sustainable future.”

It’s extremely important that phones, tablets and computers are disposed of properly to prevent identity fraud, as well as protect the environment. These devices contain personal data including, usernames, passwords, credit card account numbers, addresses, tax records and financial statements. In fact, nearly all copiers made since 2002 for business use, and some for home use, contain a hard drive that can store every copy made, item printed or fax scanned according to The Columbus Dispatch.

GEEP’s guarantee of complete destruction of devices means data is completely unrecoverable. Recycling the materials means they stay out of landfills where their potentially toxic components can be harmful to the soil, water and air. The company has a 97 percent recycling rate that is achieved using processes that break electric and electronic devices down to their base commodities such as copper, steel, aluminum, and plastics to be recycled to create new products. The GEEP process of recycling surpasses all applicable environmental safety standards and is certified to the highest standards, such as e-Stewards..

Individuals are encouraged to bring any items with a plug or battery including electric/electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, tablets or TVs, as well as printers, fax machines, vacuums, DVD/CD players, toasters, or similar products. For more information about the event, visit www.bbbshred.org.