How Shredding Services Help the Environment

Despite all of the advances that have been made in the technology industry, paper is still one of the most preferred mediums used by people. From receipts and tax returns to journals and calendars, paper products are everywhere. It's estimated that more than 300 million tons of paper is made and used every year, and that is not a number to sneeze at. While paper manufacturers re-plant trees when they cut them down for paper stock, there is still a burden on the market if people rely purely on virgin paper. Fortunately, those who are getting rid of paper can help by recycling that paper to provide feedstock for the next generation of paper products.

Shredding services, particularly mobile shredders who come to a business to shred documents, provide huge amounts of paper that can be fed right back into the cycle of production and use. Not only do these businesses come straight to their clients to shred their sensitive documents, guaranteeing privacy and that a client's information stays out of the wrong hands; they also take that shredded paper and make sure it gets put into the hands of manufacturers who can turn that old paper into new, usable paper again.

While it's completely possible to just throw paper in the recycling bin to be taken away, that paper is going to need to be shredded as part of the recycling process. As shredded paper takes up far less space than un-shredded paper, shredding will be a convenient boon for those who need to get rid of a lot of paper all at once. As any company knows, leaving sensitive information just sitting in the trash is one of the biggest ways for that information to fall into the wrong hands. Whether it is contact lists for employees, financial information for clients, or just memos sent internally throughout the company that could provide sensitive information to outside eyes; all of that needs to be properly destroyed. Mobile shredders take care of that task quite nicely; and once all of the paper is shredded the professionals take it with them in secure boxes. At no time is the shredded paper left alone, so even if someone were inclined to try and put the pieces together, it would be impossible to gain access to the former documents.

Many businesses and companies have tried to go paperless, thereby reducing their paper consumption and the pressure on the environment's resources. However, just because a company keeps its data on a digital backup doesn't mean that information is any less confidential or at risk. Shredding companies, such as Absolute Destruction (find your local location at Absolutedestruction.ca/burlington-oakville.php), are aware of this need as well though, and that is why they often provide digital destruction services in order to ensure that all files are completely removed and destroyed from your machines. Whether those machines are going right back into service, or they're being recycled for parts (keeping computers and electronics out of landfills is another ecological priority), it's important to make sure that they're really clean before letting them out of the company's hands.