Document Shredding is easy to obtain on Shreddee. Don’t waste time searching through endless adds trying to find a certified document destruction service. At Shreddee you can find certified, compliant and friendly document shredding professionals.
About Document Shredding
Document shredding can sometimes be confused with paper shredding but they are different. They both involve paper shredding but the difference is that documents are a combination of papers put together using staples, pins, paper clips, or bound together using other different mechanisms.
It is not as easy to shred documents as it is for clean paper shredding. Shredding companies may be forced to remove the binding mechanisms before shredding the documents. This is because the equipment used for shredding is an industrial shredder that may not take in foreign material apart from paper. Any other material like paper clips and staple pins may damage the expensive equipment.
Reasons for Document Shredding
In an office set up, there may be quite a number of reasons to require document destruction services:
- Document overflow
- Storage time lapse
- Less frequent document needs
Document Overflow
Depending on the operations of an organization, they may experience times when they have document overflows. A document overflow is a storage issue when the organization has somehow generated more documents and run out of space for storage. Documents are generated every day but may be out of the ordinary when carrying out extraordinary activities like going through a legal case, holding a massive sales drive or extra marketing strategies.
The best way to deal with a document overflow is to schedule an on-demand shredding service. It is not a routine service but one that is solicited when demand requires. Document overflows are not premeditated occurrences that can be planned before.
Storage Time Lapse
Organizations are normally guided by autonomous agencies as well as the government to keep records in a certain filing system for a given period before they can be discarded. Documents with client information are those that are guided by such regulations. It is important to note that most organizations also keep a soft copy of the documents they generate. Despite have the soft copy stored in a hard drive, they have to adhere to regulations and maintain hard copy documents which are stored for a stipulated time.
Once the stipulated time elapses, the organization is free to discard the documents. They have no use keeping the records and as such, would use document shredding services to destroy the documents. Storage time lapse is a predetermined activity and therefore, an organization can schedule regular shredding services.
Less Frequent Document Needs
These are documents that have lost their value and are not guided by any regulations as regards to the time they should be stored. Once such a document loses its value in the organization then it has no use being stored because they take up space. They are better off being shredded.
No matter the reason for document shredding, it is the most efficient mode of document destruction. The documents can be incinerated by fire but the smoke emitted is harmful to the environment. We do not want to pollute the environment with deadly fumes from the ink in documents.
The best way to discard paper is through recycling but this cannot go through because documents may contain sensitive information, not for public consumption. This is why shredding is important. Shredding helps destroy the information before the document is ready for recycling. Paper is recycled to make paper for newsprint, toilet paper, furniture and paper towels among other products.
Security for Document Destruction
As mentioned above, documents contain sensitive information about clients, the organization or about their products and services. Such information poses a risk to the efficient continuity of the organization. For instance, if client information is leaked to the public while the organization was legally bound to protect the client’s privacy, the organization can be sued for damages thus affecting its operations. Other risks include identity theft and cyber-crime.
In as much as the organization may have put in pace some document security policies, it is not a load that they should carry on their own. Document shredding services also bear the bulk of security obligation as regards to protecting sensitive information. Document security begins with handling from the client organization. Client organizations strictly have cleared personnel who handle documents to be shredded. They are then met up by shredding company personnel who practice stringent measures to make sure the documents are secure.
Most document shredding services issue their clients with lockable containers that either use manual locks or electronic lock that require a barcode read to open. Such accountability makes it easy to determine who handled the documents and at what time. Shredding companies have even gone further to offer GPS tracking services for documents being transported to off-site shredding premises. The client can track their vital documents from point of departure to the point they get shredded.
After shredding, the client is issued with a certificate of destruction verifying that the shredding company has securely destroyed your documents. In addition, it has sorted the paper ready for the recycling process. In the event that document security is breached, it is better for organizations to go for shredding companies that have insurance.
Free Document Shredding
An ideal place to find free document shredding services is in a shredding event organized by business sponsors. They may not be that often but are common on Saturday morning especially a few weeks after tax week. Free document shredding is a good way to bring down shredding costs.
Search for our map to get a list of document destruction companies in your locality.