Shredding old documents and paperwork can be a pretty daunting job for a lot of homes and businesses alike. Whether people have been storing their obsolete and personal files in the garage for many years or have boxes full of work or private documents were strewn around their office, gathering and disposing of old paperwork can be a chore.
Shredding services provide companies or individuals with the tools and answers they need to make the right and intelligent decision about their paperwork shredding needs. In this article, we will answer frequently asked questions about these kinds of services.
To find out more about how shredders work, click here for information.
What can people shred?
The better question you need to ask is: What don’t you shred? Although shredding firms usually focus their services on destroying documents, they can shred fabric, metals, and plastic. Industrial shredders can shred various materials like:
Digital Video Disc and Compact Disc
Identification badges
Magnetic media
Hard drives
Microfilms
Plastic
X-rays
Metals
Fabric
Paper
Materials only need to be destroyed if they contain important or sensitive information, but a lot of individuals forget about sensitive info stored electronically or magnetically. Scanners and fax machines keep copies of the items sent through the firm, and things with personal information like date of birth and name need to be properly destroyed to avoid the possibility of identity theft.
What about paperclips and staples?
Now that people know what they can shred, they might be wondering how to prepare their materials for the procedure. The good news is since industrial machines used for this procedure can destroy all kinds of materials, they do not need to organize or sort their documents or files at all before the procedure. They do not have to remove folders, binder clips, paper clips, staples, or folder fasteners. They can toss their documents as they are into a safe and secure console until they are ready for the process.
Visit https://smallbusiness.chron.com/electronic-storage-devices-technology-62349.html to know more about how to save files electronically.
What is a shred console?
This thing is a locked bin where people can store their files until they are processed. If they sign up for the regular service, they can store these bins throughout their office to help gather things until the scheduled shredding date.
Which service best meets the client’s needs?
There are a couple of services that people can choose from:
Mobile
Off-site
Drop-off
Mobile services are the most convenient service available in the market today. All clients need to do is gather the documents they need to be shredded, and the firm takes care of the rest. Shred trucks are driven to locations, the professionals feed documents through the machine on the end of the truck, and the remains are driven to secure facilities to be recycled and baled. The average cost for this service is around $100.
Off-site
The only difference between off-site and mobile services is that the off-site option will shred files on a secured off-site facility. With the best shredding service that has an off-site facility, files are picked up from the client’s locations, but they do not get to watch as the procedure is done.
Instead, the documents are taken to a safe and secured facility with a large industrial mincing machine. The files are mingled with tons of other papers or documents and immediately destroyed. The average cost for this type of procedure is more or less $100.
Drop-off
This option is designed to meet the needs of clients with low-volume projects. If the client has 30 pounds or less, having a company come to them is not a cost-effective solution to the problem. Drop-off facilities for this kind of service are all over the United States. People need to find one near them with location tools. The average cost of this kind of procedure is more or less $1.
Can individuals or businesses just purchase a personal mincing machine instead?
The personal meaning machine costs around $10 to $2,000, and they can be an excellent option for people or small businesses with just a couple of pounds of paper to destroy each month. The bad news is, cheap devices have a short life span and can easily break.
If individuals or businesses are willing to spend a couple of hundred or thousand dollars and perform regular maintenance on their devices, it is best to own one and handle their needs for the next couple of years. But make sure to understand the downside of owning one.
