5 Document Shredding Facts You
Need to Know

Just because your paper shredding routine is on autopilot doesn’t mean it’s safe and efficient. You may be spending too much time shredding documents, or worse, putting your customers and employees at risk of identity theft. Here are five document shredding facts you need to know:

Fact 1: Shredded Paper is Public Property

In the case California vs. Greenwood, not only did the Court rule that the Fourth Amendment “does not prohibit the warrantless search and seizure of garbage left for collection outside the curtilage of a home,” but the Court also “…believed it to be ‘common knowledge’ that garbage at the side of the street is ‘readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public.’” There’s always a chance, someone can rummage through your garbage, take your shredded paper, steal the identity of your customers and employees or use it in a legal action against you or your business. 

Fact 2: Professional Shredding is Cost Effective

It costs over $95 per month just to operate an office shredding machine. Considering how much an employee may be compensated per hour, asking them to operate a shredding machine is extremely expensive. Professional shredding is much more cost effective. For only 10 to 40 cents per pound, you can get reliable and secure privacy protection.

Fact 3: On-Site Shredding Trumps Off-Site Shredding

There are two types of shredding services: off-site shredding and mobile on-site shredding. During off-site shredding, your documents are collected from your business and brought to a shredding facility for destruction. At the shredding facility, your documents is often hand-sorted to maximize the recycling value of the paper. This unwanted access to your confidential information can expose your business and your customers to identity theft and fraud. Mobile on-site shredding is more secure because all confidential material is shredded on-site, at your location.

Fact 4: Mobile Shredders Are Fast

Imagine shredding 300 pounds of documents with an office shredder; the process could take several hours or even days. You’d have to remove all the staples and paperclips from your documents, separate files into easily-shredded portions, and empty the shredding receptacle several times. With a mobile shredding service, 300 pounds of paper is shredded in about 4 to 5 minutes!

Fact 5: NAID AAA Certified Shredding Ensures Compliance

The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancement, professionalism, and high ethical standards in the information destruction industry. They act as an independent industry auditor.

NAID AAA Certified companies receive unannounced, extensive audits of their destruction systems, equipment, facilities and staff, checking shredding companies’ compliance in 28 critical areas, including everything from shred size to employee background checks. As a result, you know that with a NAID AAA Certified shredding company, your documents are shredded in accordance with the highest ethical and industry standards as well as state and federal privacy laws.

Now that you know the facts about paper shredding, you can choose a secure, efficient and cost effective document destruction solution. 

River Mill Data Management provides shredding services to businesses in West, Central and South Georgia, as well as select counties in eastern Alabama. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.