Houston, TX - In just four hours, First Service Credit Union helped its members and other individuals in the community save 247 trees through shedding and recycling their unneeded paper documents. First Service, the fastest-growing credit union in the Houston area, hosted its annual Shred Day at two of its branches, in Katy and South Houston. The chance to bring papers and have them securely shredded at no charge was offered to anyone in the area. Hundreds of families and individuals took advantage of the opportunity at each site. “People were already lined up well before the shredding trucks opened their doors at the two locations,” said Mike McWethy, Executive Vice President of First Service Credit Union. “This was a huge success, and something we will definitely plan to do again. Clearly, people appreciate the opportunity to get rid of these documents safely and minimize the risk of financial fraud or identity theft.” Between the two locations, a total of 29,050 pounds – 14.5 tons – of paper was collected and shredded. According to the company that did the shredding, recycling that much paper saves 247 trees, eliminates the need for 43 cubic yards of landfill space, and saves the equivalent of 29 barrels of oil and 100,000 gallons of water needed for paper production.