Shredding is a fairly standard thing by now. Even if you don’t do it yourself, pretty much everyone knows what the shredding process is and why it’s done – particularly in a business setting. It’s a standard part of security and compliance, and help to make sure your sensitive data is always protected, It also makes it easy to dispose of your sensitive documents without taking scissors to them. But do you know what happens to your records once they have been shredded?
After Shredding
Once you give your documents over to a shredding professional (lime us), they are processed. This means they are mixed in with other documents (for added security) and put through an industrial shredder. These are much bigger and more efficient than your standard office shredder, and the result is small confetti like pieces of paper in a variety of shapes, depending on the type of shredder used. These pieces are so small that no information from the records can be read, and there is no hope of piecing it back together. This confetti like paper is then bundled up and taken to a recycling centre so that it can be put to a new use.
When the paper arrives at the recycling centre they are chemically treated. This means they will be washed with chemicals and treated water to remove the print and start the process of breaking down the paper. The mulch will then be cleansed of any impurities that might be in it by pressing it against a screen. Then, before the old paper is bonded and dried, any last bits of ink that might be clinging to the paper are washed away in a final rinse cycle. The last step is to convert the shredded paper (now resembling pulp) into new products, usually done by passing it through a series of pressure presses and rollers.
The Benefits Of Recycling
Of course, paper is one of the most recyclable materials on the planet, with a single piece of paper able to be recycled and reused at least 7 times. This means there are some considerable benefits to recycling used paper, including:
- It takes only a couple of hours to turn obsolete paper waste into something new that can be used by consumers or businesses, without using any new materials
- Some of the products that can be created with recycled paper include paper towels, writing paper and toilet rolls
- You’ll see a significant reduction in your businesses’ carbon footprint, as waste paper that’s been recycled won’t end up in landfill
- Improved social responsibility. By investing in a more streamlined disposal process that minimises the impact your business operations have on the natural world
Why Invest In Professional Shredding?
Simply put, using a professional shredding company is the only way you can ensure your old paper waste is properly recycled. By shredding inhouse and simply putting it all in a recycling bin, you can’t guarantee that your paper will actually be recycled and reused in a new batch of products. But if the environmental angle isn’t quite enough to convince you, then there is also the fact that professional shredding:
- Protects your business information from competitors
- Ensures your customer and employee data is safely destroyed
- Meets all standards set out by GPDR and other data protection laws, keeping you in the clear
- Improves social responsibility, as shredding is a much more environmentally friendly option, with an end result of recycling 99.9% of the time
- Helps you dispose of bulk paperwork in a simple, efficient manner
- Saves employee time – no more hours spent bent over the office shredder
In short, the most efficient way for your business to deal with obsolete documents or records is to use a professional shredding service. Not only does this ensure certain data protection standards are met (and you can prove it), but it significantly improves the green credentials at the same time. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with us today.
