The Ultimate Guide to Paper Shredding Services
Believe it or not, paper is still a widely used and integral commodity, particularly in a business setting. The average office employee uses around 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year, and 73% of decision-makers at small- to medium-sized businesses print at least four times per day. Not to mention the vast amount of printed mail delivered to homes every day.
One of the challenges with paper is that you have to figure how to dispose of it responsibly, which is a lot harder than it seems:
Tossing paper into a trash bin is not ideal because a) it will end up in a landfill when it could have been recycled, and b) printed documents often contain sensitive information that could easily become compromised should it fall into the wrong hands.
If you live in a rural area, you may consider burning your paper, but this is not a feasible solution for most people, and it also eliminates the possibility of recycling the paper for future reuse. Again, not an ideal option.
Lastly, you could buy a personal shredder and try shredding the paper yourself, but these types of shredders frequently break down, are extremely time consuming to operate, and rarely meet the criteria for information security.
For the majority of cases, the optimal way to responsibly dispose of paper is to hire a professional paper shredding service. Shredding companies not only take care of the shredding process for you, but they also pass the destroyed paper off to recyclers to alleviate the impact that paper production and consumption has on our environment.
However, as with any business, not all shredding companies are created equal. The process of searching for and negotiating with a shredding service can also be confusing if you’re not familiar with the industry.
This guide will walk you through all the important things you should consider when deciding on a shredding service provider, and it will answer many of the common questions people have about the document destruction process.
How Do Paper Shredding Services Work?
Paper shredding services can be divided into two categories: on-site shredding and off-site shredding. Before we get too far into the weeds, let’s look at the differences between these two types of shredding services.
Off-Site Shredding
Off-site shredding refers to the practice of a company picking up paper from a customer’s location and then transporting it to a facility where it is later shredded. This type of service sometimes costs less than on-site shredding, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
If you are serious about protecting the information on your documents, off-site shredding is not the best way to go. It is difficult to find peace of mind when someone you hardly know loads your sensitive information into the back of a box truck and hauls it away to (hopefully) be shredded. And oftentimes, an off-site shredding provider will visit multiple customers throughout the day, sometimes driving across an entire state and even into bordering states, before ever arriving back at the shredding facility.
This approach adds too much unnecessary risk into the equation, which is why most businesses and individuals opt for on-site shredding.
On-Site Shredding
On-site shredding is the gold standard for document destruction. It refers to the practice of immediately shredding paper at the site where it is located (e.g., in the parking lot of a business) by using a specially modified truck equipped with a commercial-grade pierce-and-tear shredder (see below for an example).
Once all paper has been collected in a secure bin, the shredding company’s service representative will roll the bin out to the truck, lift the bin into the truck using an automated arm mechanism, then dump the contents directly into the teeth of the shredder. You can even watch the shredding happen through an LCD display on the side of the truck!
After the shredding process is complete (which usually only takes a minute or two for a full 64-gallon bin), the customer is provided with a Certificate of Destruction for their records, a chain-of-custody step that is required by law in some industries and good to have regardless of any industry or situation.
An example of the type of truck used for on-site shredding.
On-site vs. off-site shredding is one of the most important differentiators among shredding companies. Whether you’re looking to hire a shredding service for the first time or already have one, make sure your paper is being shredded on-site for maximum security. Many shredding companies offer a combination of on- and off-site shredding, so it’s crucial to clarify which service you are receiving.
Now that we have that covered, let’s move on to the most common subcategories of shredding services.
Recurring Shred Service (a.k.a. “Scheduled Service”)
A recurring shred service is most commonly used in a business setting. A shredding company will visit your location on a set interval (usually every one, two, four, or eight weeks depending on your paper volume and preference) and shred the paper you have accumulated since their last visit.
Scheduled Service clients are provided with one or multiple locked containers (commonly referred to as “shred bins”) that employees can use to securely discard and store paper until the time of service. These shred bins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common being:
Standard Bin
Use Case: Office Setting
Features:
32-gallon paper capacity
Self-containing
Plastic construction
Paper slot on the top
Integrated locking mechanism
Executive Console
Use Case: Office Setting
Features:
32-gallon paper capacity
Internal bag or bin system, depending on model
Wooden construction
Paper slot in the front
Integrated locking mechanism
Large Bin
Use Case: Industrial or Non-Client-Facing Office Setting
Features:
64-gallon paper capacity
Self-containing
Plastic construction
Wide paper slot on the top
Padlock
Large Bin (Left), Standard Bin (Middle), Executive Console (Right)
At the time of Scheduled Service, a shredding company’s service representative will empty the contents of the shred bin(s) into a larger bin that is then rolled outside and lifted into the shred truck (if you have a Large Bin, they will roll it directly to the truck and shred from it).
After the shredding process is complete, the service rep provides the customer with a Certificate of Destruction for their records. This process repeats on a set schedule for as long as you use an on-site shredding service.
Scheduled Service Pricing: Most recurring shred services operate on a price-per-service model, and the customer is billed accordingly. Pricing is usually determined on bin quantity and size/style, as well as location count. Sometimes, a by-weight pricing model is used, especially for state or government contracts (the collected paper is weighed prior to being shredded).
As-Needed Shred Service (a.k.a. “Purge”)
If you don’t need to shred your confidential documents on a regular basis (i.e., every 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks), but still have a large amount of paper to shred, then an as-needed “Purge” is probably the best fit for you.
Whenever you are ready to have your paper shredded, simply contact the on-site paper shredding company of your choice to schedule a day for their truck to swing by. Even if you have used a certain shredding company in the past, it is wise to receive multiple quotes prior to scheduling, as Purge pricing can vary greatly from provider to provider, and sometimes a shredding company may not be able to service you on a desired date.
For Purges, there is no need to use a shredding provider’s bins. The shredding company will collect the paper however you have it stored (usually in cardboard boxes, but they can also collect out of filing cabinets, plastic bins, bags, or pretty much any container you can think of). As with Scheduled Service, the paper is dumped into a large rollable bin that is tipped into the shred truck. The shredding duration depends on the size of the job, but you’d be surprised how quickly an industrial-grade shredder goes through paper.
Keep in mind that shredding companies do not shred or dispose of the cardboard boxes that hold the paper, as cardboard gums up their shredders and contaminates the recycling process. Other things that cannot be shredded include thick plastic (such as a three-ring binder), x-rays, and batteries. Staples, bulldog clips, and other small bits of metal are okay to shred.
Purge Pricing: Purge pricing is determined by the volume of paper that will be shredded. Common pricing models include: per-box, per-tip, and by-weight. Most if not all shredding companies will have a minimum service fee for Purges in order to cover travel expenses and labor time, but these fees vary.
Other Types of Shredding Services
Recurring and as-needed paper shredding is the bread and butter of every shredding company, but some companies will offer additional services for different needs. Here are a few examples:
Hard-Drive Destruction
Many paper shredding companies also offer destruction services for hard drives and various types of e-media. Specialized machinery is used for hard-drive destruction, and the pricing is structured differently from paper, but it works similar to the way that Purges do.
If you use an on-site shredding company, they will drive to your location and destroy all hard-drive material on-site then provide you with a certificate of destruction for your records.
Learn more about on-site hard-drive destruction here.
Document Scanning
Some shredding companies also offer document scanning services to compliment their shredding services. Businesses are required to store printed records for extended periods of time (often for as long as seven years) before they are allowed to shred them. The only way around this is if you convert your printed records to digital storage; then, you can shred your records and save valuable space (and money, if you’re using a storage unit).
A shredding company can take care of the laborious process of scanning for you and provide you with a USB drive or disc afterwards. As an added bonus, they can also streamline the document destruction for you once all your required records are securely transferred to digital storage.
Learn more about document scanning services here.
Walk-ins
If you only have a small amount of paper to shred (or hard drives to destroy) on an infrequent basis, a walk-in service is likely the most economical solution for you. Instead of the shredding company driving to your location, you transport the paper yourself to the shredding company’s office. This approach is less convenient than on-site shredding, but it is also more affordable.
Because a company’s shred trucks are usually on the road servicing clients during the day, most often the paper dropped off via walk-ins is stored securely inside the shredding company’s facility until the shred truck(s) return to the office. If you prefer to see the paper shredded yourself, you will want to opt for an on-site Purge instead.
Every shredding company’s walk-in service works a little differently (and not all companies offer it) so make sure to do some research and contact your desired shredding company if you are interested.
Community Shred Events
Many shredding companies will host or participate in free community shred events, usually in the spring and fall seasons. These events provide local residents with an opportunity to have their paper shredded and recycled for free. At some events, donations are encouraged to support a particular organization or charity.
Each person or group is only allowed to bring a certain amount of paper to each shred event (the exact amount varies) to ensure that as many people as possible are able to have their documents securely destroyed at no charge.
If you live in or near Arkansas, you can check out our 2024 Community Shred Event Calendar here. Otherwise, we recommend researching the websites of your local shredding providers and seeing if they have a publicly available shred event calendar.
Crucial Things to Consider When Comparing Shredding Companies
There are a lot of shredding companies to choose from, but they’re not all created equal. Before you hire a shredding company, it’s important to thoroughly research the ones in your area. Ideally, you should receive quotes from at least two or three companies and consider the following factors when talking with them:
Pricing
Every shredding company has their own pricing structure, and service costs can vary greatly between providers. The biggest red flag to watch out for is surcharges.
Some service providers (usually the larger, corporate-level ones) tack on surcharges to their customers’ invoices. These surcharges may not be evident up front, so it’s important to read through the fine print before signing a contract. Surcharges can be added or raised at the discretion of the shredding provider, and before you know it, you may find you are having to pay far above the initial agreed upon price.
Look for shredding companies with transparent pricing and never any surcharges. It’s also wise to receive quotes from multiple providers before deciding on one. Typically, locally owned and operated shredding companies offer the most reasonable prices.
Customer Service
Price is very important, but it shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. The lowest priced shredding provider may not always be the optimal choice.
Customer service has become a bit of a cliche in the business world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. When it comes to shredding your confidential information, you want to make sure you are partnering with a company that is easy to get a hold of, reliable, flexible, and professional.
One of the quickest ways to get a feel for a business’s customer service is to look at their Google reviews. It’s not a fail-proof approach, but it is a great first step. Communicating with local businesses or peers who have experience with on-site shredding services is another helpful strategy. It’s also important to consider the quality of your interactions with a shredding company during the discovery phase—e.g., how long did it take them to reach out to you after you requested a quote? That may be a good indicator of the level of service you can expect later down the line.
Typically, local companies are known for having the best customer service—at the very least, you won’t have to deal with a national call center.
Contract Commitments
Sometimes, it’s helpful to have a contract in place with a shredding company, especially if the scope of work is large and complex (e.g., numerous shred bins across multiple locations). A well-constructed contract can ensure that the price you agreed upon doesn’t change for a set duration, and it also lays out the ground rules in case your shredding provider drops the ball on service or billing.
Unfortunately, many service contracts are not so beneficial. We’ve been in the shredding industry a long time, and we’ve had countless individuals contact us saying they are trying to get out of a strict contract with their current provider (usually because of sharp price increases and/or service hiccups).
If you think a contract is beneficial or necessary for your situation, it’s important to carefully review every word. If you have access to legal guidance, we recommend leaning into it before you sign a contract. The more intimidating and confusing the contract is, the more weary you should be.
For many small businesses, a contract is not necessary for a shredding service. Look for companies that do not require contract commitments; they are the ones who are most confident in the quality of their service and the least likely to raise prices on you.
Flexibility
Life doesn’t always go as planned. If bad weather moves in and you have to temporarily close your business, or if a holiday falls on a day you are supposed to receive service, you want a shredding provider who has the flexibility to adapt to your situation.
If you suddenly need to get rid of a large amount of paper, you want a shredding company who will do their best to get you on the schedule when you need them.
On-site shredding is not an on-demand service—shredding providers have numerous businesses and individuals they have to service every day, and much of their schedule is planned far in advance—but a good shredding provider will have some level of flexibility in their scheduling and service options.
Accreditation
The last factor you should consider when choosing a shredding provider is one of the most important ones: third-party accreditation. In the document destruction industry, the gold standard for accreditation is the NAID AAA Certification issued by the International Secure Information Governance & Management Association (i-SIGMA).
The NAID certification “verifies secure data destruction companies’ services’ compliance with all known data protection laws through scheduled and surprise audits by trained, accredited security professionals, fulfilling customers’ regulatory due diligence obligations.”
If you want maximum security and peace of mind for your documents, choose a shredding provider that is NAID AAA Certified for paper shredding and/or hard-drive destruction (ideally on-site). Most serious players in the shredding industry will have some level of accreditation with i-SIGMA, but it’s an important thing to check off your list when comparing shredding companies.
Practical Tips for Finding the Best Shredding Service in Your Area
Check their Google Reviews (and their reviews on other platforms). Are they actually a local company, or do they just have a PO box in your city?
Browse their website. Does it look professional? Does it use corporate-speak?
Contact them! Submit an inquiry form or give them a call. How long does it take for them to respond? Are they friendly and helpful? What is their pricing?
Find out if they are involved with their local community. Social media is one way to get a good feel. Their level of involvement with Community Shred Events is also a good indicator.
Ask peers what shredding company they use or recommend. This is the most effective way to sift through the not-so-great shredding providers out there (and believe us, they’re not all great).
The Bottom Line: How to Decide on the Right Shredding Company for Your Needs
If you are a large business with locations across multiple states, it will be hard to find a local shredding provider that can accommodate your needs. This is one of the few situations in which a corporate-level shredding may be the best fit for you, but that’s not the whole story.
If you want to partner with a local shredding provider for all the benefits described above, you still can. The shredding industry is pretty tight-knit. The owners of shredding companies are well-connected, so if you have more locations than a single provider is able to service, they are likely able to partner with another local provider in another state (a process known as “subbing”). It takes a little more legwork on the front end, but as soon as things are set up and rolling, it should still feel like you’re being serviced by only one company since the original company handles all the billing.
For the majority of businesses and individuals, an accredited, experienced, locally owned and operated shredding provider is the best way to go. They will provide you with the best customer service and reasonable prices and make the process of using a paper shredding service easy and stress-free.
Looking for a quality on-site paper shredding service in Arkansas and/or the surrounding region?
Rock Solid Shredding has you covered! Visit our homepage here to learn more about us, or reach out to us through the form at the bottom of this page to receive a quote! We have state-wide coverage of Arkansas and service parts of southern Missouri and eastern Oklahoma.