Say Goodbye to Unpleasant Memories from 2016 at the Tenth Annual Good Riddance Day Event

The winner of the contest will have the opportunity to be the first to participate in the Good Riddance Day event taking place on December 28, where they can shred their unwanted, unpleasant or embarrassing memory from the past and ring in the New Year in Times Square. At this annual event, Shred-it will park a mobile shredding truck in Times Square so participants can securely destroy the items that remind them of the experiences they'd rather forget. Whether it's a heartbreaking photo of a past flame or documents from a student loan that has finally been paid off, participants can shred it all and start the New Year with a clean slate.

"Good Riddance Day builds on the tradition of destroying the negative in one's life in order to move forward and start fresh," said Kevin Pollack, SVP Shred-it.  "We're proud to provide individuals the opportunity to gain the closure they need by not only symbolically and physically destroying their bad memories, but doing so in a memorable, yet secure and sustainable way."

All the shredded material generated on Good Riddance Day will be baled and sent to nearby recycling plants. Every ton of paper shredded and recycled by Shred-it saves 17 trees, 4,100 kilowatts of energy and 3.5 cubic yards of landfill space.

"Now in its tenth year, Good Riddance Day continues to be a huge success," added Jeffrey Straus, President, Countdown Entertainment. "Participants can prepare to celebrate the New Year in Times Square free of past burdens knowing that their unwanted memories have been safely and permanently destroyed by Shred-it's secure mobile shredding truck." 

"Good Riddance Day gives us a chance to reflect on the past year and purge ourselves of the things that remind us of our frustrations, mishaps, and faults," said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance.  "Each year we look forward to encouraging all New Yorkers and visitors alike to join us as we say Shred-it and Forget it to 2016's unwanted memories and prepare for a 2017 with a clean slate."

Shred-it invites anyone hoping to destroy an unpleasant memory in their life to come down to Times Square on December 28^th and participate in this tenth annual ritual. If you can't attend but want to still take part, Shred-it and the Times Square New Year's Eve team encourage you to tweet at #GoodRiddanceDay to have your entry shredded on the day of the event.

Contest Details
To enter the contest, contestants must submit a short description of what they would like to say "good riddance" to in 2016. A panel of judges from Shred-it and the Times Square New Year's Eve team will determine the winner. Whether you want to shred those high utility bills after going green this year, a mortgage document that's become history, or a medical bill that signifies a triumphant recovery, entries can be submitted at www.shredit.com/GoodRiddanceDay.  By entering the grand prize contest, you'll also qualify for one of four weekly prize draws valued at $100.

The individual grand prize includes:

• Two roundtrip airfare tickets to New York City
• Five-night hotel stay in New York City
• Designation as the official "First to Shred" at Good Riddance Day 2016 in Times Square
• Two VIP passes to an exclusive pre-viewing of the Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball
• Two tickets to the official New Year's Eve 2017 VIP Party in Times Square

Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 29, 2016.

The annual event will take place on December 28, 2016 in New York City's Times Square. It is open to the public to destroy any unpleasant, embarrassing and downright forgettable memories from 2016 and pave the way for new memories in 2017. 

Please note: Good Riddance Day is a symbolic event for shredding single memories or ideas. It is not a mass shredding or disposal event, and we are unable to accommodate requests to shred large amounts of paper material.

To submit an entry or learn more about the contest, please visit: www.shredit.com/GoodRiddanceDay. You can also stay informed with Shred-it on Facebook and LinkedIn or you can follow us on Twitter at @Shredit or use hashtag #GoodRiddanceDay.

For more information on Times Square New Year's Eve, please visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org/NewYearsEve.

Times Square Alliance:
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timessquarenyc
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/timessquarenyc
Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/TimesSquareNYC
Times Square Ball: www.TimesSquareBall.net

About Shred-it
Shred-it is a world-leading information security company providing information destruction services that ensure the security and integrity of our clients' private information. A wholly, owned subsidiary of Stericycle, Shred-it operates in 170 markets throughout 18 countries worldwide, servicing more than 400,000 global, national and local businesses. For more information, please visit www.shredit.com.

About Times Square New Year's Eve
The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are the organizers of Times Square New Year's Eve. The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the energy, edge and distinctiveness that have made it an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life. Countdown Entertainment, which represents the owners of One Times Square, and the New Year's Eve Ball, is a marketing management and event production company specializing in the Times Square area.

Katarina Kristanic, Director, PR & Communications Shred-it, T: 905-491-2250, E: [email protected]; Lauren Poplak, NATIONAL Public Relations (for Shred-it), T: 416-848-1378, E: [email protected]; Kyle Sklerov (for Times Square New Year's Eve), Associate VP, Rubenstein Communications, T: 212-843-8486, E: [email protected]; Kristen Bothwell (for Times Square New Year's Eve), Associate VP, Rubenstein Communications, T: 212-843-9227, E: [email protected]

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SOURCE Shred-it