The Top 5 Excuses for Not Shredding Documents

Document shredding is a low priority for many companies and organizations. But when considering the financial and legal impacts of data breaches, document shredding should be top of mind. In this blog, we highlight five document shredding excuses to avoid.

1. Identity Theft Cannot Happen to Me

No one is immune to identity theft. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, one in five victims of identity theft have experienced it more than once. Shredding documents with personally identifiable information (PII) is one of the best measures you can take to protect your identity.

A commercial shredding service controls your information from the moment you discard it. A security-screened shredding representative shreds your documents on-site in a mobile document destruction vehicle while you watch, while following strict chain of custody procedures.

2. My Office Shredder Does the Job Just Fine

After using an office shredder, your shredded paper ends up in a dumpster, where an identity thief can steal it and reconstruct your documents. A shredding service provider controls your information within a strict chain of custody. Security-screened shredding representatives destroy your documents on site with a mobile document destruction vehicle while you watch, then your shredded paper is mixed with that of many other businesses before being baled and sent for recycling.

3. Professional Shredding Is Too Expensive

Buying and maintaining office shredders and having your employees shred documents is expensive. A professional shredding provider streamlines your document disposal practices and helps your company save money. A shredding provider places secure collection containers throughout your office, enabling confidential documents to be disposed of quickly. Depending on the volume of information your business needs to destroy, the security collection containers are collected weekly, bi-weekly, every four weeks, or every eight weeks, and your documents are professionally destroyed on-site.

4. Shredding Takes Too Much Time

Time lost can never be regained. This is especially true when shredding documents with an office shredder. Staples and paperclips must be removed from files so the shredder does not jam. Documents must be hand-fed, a few sheets at a time, into the machine. Outsourcing your document shredding to a qualified provider helps you save time and stay productive.

5. It Is Better to Keep My Documents

Keeping documents longer than necessary puts your customers’ and employees’ privacy at risk and creates a liability for your company. That’s why you should always follow document retention and disposition timeframes. A paper shredding services company destroys your expired documents and provides you with a Certificate of Destruction.

If you want to reap the benefits of privacy protection, don’t let excuses hold you back.

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!

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