The answer to that question is probably not and here’s why.
It Takes A Lot Of Time
If you are thinking of shredding documents yourself you are going to need a shredder. Most personal shredders have significant limitations. They usually can only shred a few pieces of paper at a time. Depending on how much you have to shred it takes you a significant amount of time to shred the papers you want to destroy. It will take you hours if not days to destroy what a professional shredding service like FileShred can do in minutes.
Buy A Bigger More Powerful Shredder
If you think I can just buy a more powerful shredder you are going to be surprised to learn that the cost is many thousands of dollars. You also have to be aware that you are going to need a dedicated power source. What will the cost be to have that installed? Even spending all that money can’t come close to the strength of the industrial shredding trucks that FileShred has that can destroy 6,000 pounds of paper per hour.
Preparing The Documents To Be Shredded
If you are going to be shredding on your own you are going to have to prep the files so they can be shredded. Small shredders can’t cut through staples, paper clips, rubber bands, or binder clips. They all must be removed. If you have file folders you are going to have to take the papers out of each file jacket because you can only shred a few sheets at a time. If you have sealed envelopes with documents in them to shred like bank statements you are going to have to open each envelope and remove the papers. With a professional shredding service like FileShred you won’t have to do any prep work at all, our commercial shredders will cut through them all.
What Will You Do With The Shredded Paper
Anyone who has shredded their own documents knows that the shredded paper gets everywhere. When you shred paper it creates more volume so you will have garbage bags full of shredded paper to get rid of.
Privacy Laws Require You to Keep A log of Destroyed Documents
Regulations require that you document when, how, and by who destroys your confidential papers. That means you have to create a log of what papers were destroyed, how they were destroyed when it was done, who destroyed them, and where it was done. If you hire a professional document destruction service like FileShred you will be provided with a Certificate of Destruction for your records which meets the privacy law requirements.
Other Costs To Consider With DIY Shredding
With the purchase of a shredder, the cost does not end there. If you are having an employee do the shredding think about what you are paying that person and what other more productive things they could be doing for your company. If you are thinking of doing it yourself what is your time worth and what other tasks could you be doing to generate revenue for your business.
Suffice it to say that DIY shredding sounds like a simple cost-effective solution but as we have shown here it is not. The easier more cost-effective alternative is giving FileShred a call to shred for you.
By
James Dowse
CEO
FileShred
