Choosing the Right Shred Collection Container for Your Office

Shred collection containers are bins designed to securely store your discarded sensitive documents under lock and key until they are destroyed. The containers are designed like a mailbox with a one-way slot for depositing documents for shredding. For large-scale shredding, high-capacity bins are equipped with wheels to transport them more efficiently to the shredder. But how do you know which containers are the right choice for your office? Here are some important considerations that will help you decide:

Security

Make sure that the containers that are supplied by a shredding company are secure. Discarded paper should only be accessible by authorized personnel. Choosing a security-compliant shredding company to supply you with shred collection containers is important. You can also request a Certificate of Destruction following shredding.

Quantity

The amount of paper you need to have shredded will determine the size and number of bins you will require. You will need to calculate your paper use by weight. To give you a general idea, a 500-sheet ream of 8 ½” x 11” paper weighs about 5 pounds. If your office disposes about 100 sheets each day, that will fill a 100-pound capacity container in about 3 work weeks. A mobile shredding company would then schedule a pickup of full containers for on-site shredding at an appropriate frequency to ensure your containers aren’t overfilled. Your office might also benefit from having more than one container on site, allowing for them to be conveniently placed throughout the workspace.

Frequency

Shredding frequency is determined by a few factors:

1. The need to have secure files shredded sooner rather than later. While your containers should be sealed and secure, you may wish to have files removed and shredded more frequently.
2. The quantity of discarded paper may require a pickup frequency adjustment. Additional containers allow for greater quantities of paper waste to be collected in the same period of time. Similarly, the larger your containers, the less frequently shredding has to take place. The size of your workspace may also determine the size and quantity of your containers.
3. The amount of paperwork processed by your organization, the size of your facility, and the number of employees will also be factors.

Location

Depending on your type of business, you may wish to have a more aesthetically-pleasing container in areas visible to your clients, and more utilitarian containers in employee-only areas where the look is less important.

Getting It Right

Having the right collection containers may not seem of important, but it can make a big difference in how efficiently your business handles discarding confidential documents, and even affect your shredding costs.

Wiggins Shredding offers a variety of shredding right collection containers and services to meet your business needs. We proudly serve Pennsylvania and the Tri-State Area of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. To learn more and receive a quote for shredding services, please call us at 610-692-TEAR(8327) or complete the form on this page.