The Why, What and When of Residential Shredding

Identity theft is rising in the United States, and identity thieves do not just hack your computer. Sometimes, they steal your trash. In this blog, we explain how a residential shredding service works and protects your personal information.

Why Residential Shredding?

Any physical form of private information can be stolen, especially when it is discarded in a curbside recycling bin or trash receptacle. According to the law, once you place a document into trash can or recycling bin, you lose all privacy rights to that information, no matter how sensitive it is. Plus, the employees of recycling and trash collection services may not be security screened. As a result, your personal information has a greater chance of being stolen and misused when it is discarded in the trash. A residential shredding service is an excellent solution for eliminating paper clutter from your home while keeping your information safe.

What to Shred

The best way to protect you and your family from identity theft is to shred any unwanted document that has personal information, including:

• Utility bills
• Credit card statements
• Cancelled checks
• Medical records
• Receipts
• Junk mail

With a residential shredding service, you need not remove staples and paperclips from these items. Your unwanted documents are destroyed with state-of-the-art shredders that destroy paper and non-paper items. Once your information is destroyed, your residential shredding provider can give you a Certificate of Destruction.

When to Destroy Your Documents

Destroy paper bills and bank statements as soon as you review and pay them. Keep tax records for seven years before destroying them. Destroy credit card offers and other sensitive junk mail. When you use a residential shredding service, 100 percent of your shredded paper is recycled.

Whether you work from home or need to clean out your attic, a residential shredding service offers a secure and reliable identity theft protection solution.

For more identity theft prevention tips, 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!