6 Shredding Myths Debunked

Shredding may seem straightforward, but every organization should use best practices when destroying documents. In this blog, we debunk six common shredding myths.

Myth 1: In-House Shredding Is Secure

In-house shredding is full of risks. Your employees may forget to destroy confidential documents or toss them in the trash. Outsourced shredding offers enhanced information privacy. A mobile on-site shredding truck comes right to your place of business and your documents never leave your sight because a certified technician destroys them on premises with a mobile shredding truck.

Myth 2: It’s Better to Recycle Than to Shred

Recycling is important, but there’s no need to compromise sensitive information in order to protect the environment. We’re used to seeing open, unsecured recycling collection containers. And generally, recycling service companies don’t security-screen their personnel. Recycling your documents this way will not end well.

However, with a professional shredding service, your documents are collected within a secure chain of custody. A security-screened shredding representative collects your documents and deposits them into a mobile shredding vehicle. After your documents are destroyed, your shredded waste is mixed with shredded paper from other sources, baled, and sent to a paper mill for pulping and recycling. 100 percent of your shredded waste is used to produce a variety of consumer products. Recycling and shredding can go hand in hand!

Myth 3: No One Wants to Go Through My Trash

Dumpster divers will definitely scrounge for documents with personally identifiable information (PII) and/or protected health information (PHI) Not only should you avoid discarding intact documents, you should also know that shredding documents in house won’t protect you. When shredded paper from one source, like your office, is placed in a dumpster on the premises, dumpster divers can piece documents back together and steal the information.

A professional shredding service mixes together shredded paper from multiple sources, rendering it unrecoverable, and then sends it to a trusted recycling partner.

Myth 4: Shredding Is a Waste of Time

Having to remove staples and paperclips from your documents and separate them into small portions before hand-feeding them into a shredder takes time. Still, with rising identity theft and business fraud, document shredding is important. Fortunately, a shredding service saves you time. Your skilled employees don’t have to spend their time in front of a shredder instead of handling important business. Instead, security screened professionals destroy your documents on-site at your business.

Myth 5: It’s Better to Keep Documents Than Shred Them

It’s true, you may have to save a few specific documents, but most paper records can be destroyed after seven years. Always confirm your document retention requirements with your accountant or attorney before shredding anything.

Myth 6: Professional Shredding Is Expensive

Paying your employees to shred is expensive when you consider the time spent shredding reduces time spent on revenue production. A trusted shredding provider can offer a variety of shredding options to meet your budget and privacy protection requirements. With a customized paper shredding solution, you save time and money!

For more paper shredding and document destruction information, please call us at (610) 692-TEAR (8327) or complete the form on this page.

Wiggins Shredding serves Pennsylvania and the Tri-State Area of Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey with secure shredding and destruction services. We are your trusted, locally-owned paper shredding resource!