Find Paper Shredding Services

When you oversee a business, there are many responsibilities you must juggle. One of your goals is overseeing equipment. This not only includes buying new equipment for your employees, but also getting rid of equipment as necessary.



Part of that includes properly disposing documents. Even with a shift to storing information digitally, businesses still produce a fair amount of paper documents. This can include printing out reports, presentations, receipts and general client or product information. Getting rid of documents may sound simple, but you must consider how many documents your company produces. In many cases, you are unable to just throw away documents because they contain sensitive information, either about your business or client. In these situations, you can hire a paper shredding service.

Paper Shredding Services

Despite the name, paper shredding services are not limited solely to paper removal. In 2020, paper shredding services also destroy digital media. This includes hard drives, back up tapes and mobile devices. You can also destroy X-rays, magnetic media, microfilm and ID badges.

Destroying documents, whether physical or digital, is a sensitive process. When you are looking for a paper shredding company, make sure the business has certification from the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID).

Recycling Shredded Documents

It would be wasteful to throw out shredded documents. Instead, paper shredding companies recycle destroyed documents. Some companies handle this service on their own, while others ship off the paper fiber to a third party. In most cases, if the company does not recycle the paper as part of their services, you are charged an additional fee to cover shipping off the paper fiber to a recycler. If you are concerned about costs, look for a shredding company that either has their own paper bailing operation, or advertises free removal of your documents.

Different Types of Paper Shredding

There are two types of paper shredding services, onsite and drop-off. With onsite paper shredding, the company brings secure collection containers right to your workplace. In most cases, you and your employees are responsible for filling up the containers. Once the containers are full, the paper shredding company sends technicians to retrieve the containers and brings them outside to a mobile shredding vehicle. Since the shredding occurs on site, you can witness the document destruction first hand. Even if you oversee the document destruction, you are given a Certificate of Destruction, which lists the date and time the documents were destroyed.

Another benefit of onsite paper shredding is how thoroughly the documents are destroyed. Normally, in-house paper shredding involves cutting documents into strips. Onsite destruction uses advanced destruction methods, reducing the documents to minuscule pieces, making it impossible for anyone to recreate the shredded documents.

Drop-off paper shredding is similar to onsite shredding, except you are responsible for bringing the documents to the shredding company. Because the destruction does not occur onsite, it may take several days or even weeks for your documents to be destroyed, depending on company policy. As a result, it takes longer to receive a Certificate of Destruction. Drop-off paper shredding is typically recommended for smaller businesses, as larger companies frequently produce too many documents to reasonably ship to a drop-off shredding company. Many drop off shredding companies set a weight limit on how many documents you can bring for shredding each session.

How expensive are paper shredding services?

The cost of paper shredding services varies depending on location, as well as whether you opt for one-time services or ongoing services. Typically, a one-time onsite shredding service costs $125 to $150, while drop-off services cost between $70 to $90. Ongoing services are much less expensive, costing around $40 to $60 for onsite shredding services, or $30 to $50 for drop-off removal. Additionally, some companies may charge more if you go over certain limits, such as placing additional fees if you require more than 10 boxes for onsite shredding. 

What documents must be shredded?

There are multiple security laws dictating what information companies are required to destroy. Some of these laws include the Payment Card Industry Security Standards, Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act and the U.S. Patriot Act. There may also be additional state and professional regulations, depending on your business. In most cases, you have a predetermined amount of time before you must legally destroy your documents. There may be times where you receive a legal notification to destroy your documents immediately, such as after a breach of personal information occurs. Your client may also request you destroy information after a certain date.

There are several types of documents you are required to destroy. Some are universal, while others are business specific. The most common type of document to shred is financial information. Common examples of financial information include credit reports, receipts, bills and employee payment information.