Dealing with masses of unwanted paper can be a time-consuming and laborious process. The go-to solution for most people is to use a personal or office shredder. However, there are a number of drawbacks to this approach if you need to destroy documents in bulk. The most obvious one is that it takes time to feed each sheet of paper into the shredder individually. Luckily, there are more efficient solutions out there. At Pulp, we recommend shredding in bulk by bringing in a shredding company. For the sake of being comprehensive, we have laid out some other methods of destroying large amounts of documents. However, this task should be practical, environmentally friendly, and secure. By discussing all the possible methods, we hope to show that shredding in bulk is easily the wisest course.
Incineration
Incineration is used as a form of waste disposal and can be used to destroy paper in bulk, at least in theory. However, using the three criteria we mentioned above, it does not score well. First and foremost, it is not practical. There are no commercial incineration services and no realistic way to access the necessary equipment. Secondly, it is not environmentally friendly. There is a case to be made that incineration is better than landfill, but the fumes are still harmful. In any case, it is wasteful to burn paper that can be recycled. Thirdly, it is a secure method of document destruction in theory, but shredding is superior. This is because shredding services can destroy all of your documents on site, whereas incineration would require the paper to be transported to a second location first.
Landfill
Of course, it is possible in theory to dump your paper into normal bins. However, no ethical and socially conscious company would seriously consider this. Leaving aside the practical benefits of segregating waste and recycling responsibly, there are greener ways to dispose of your paper. In addition to being an eyesore, landfill generates toxic greenhouse gases. Another important point to note is that all of the confidential information on your disposed paper would be exposed. This leaves you open to identity theft, leaks, and various penalties for irresponsible handling of sensitive data.
Soaking
Another method of destroying paper in bulk is to turn it into pulp. This involves soaking the paper in a mixture of water and bleach, or other chemicals depending on the facility. After the documents have disintigrated, you press the water from the pulp. In fact, this method is widely used by recycling centres, but it requires specialized equipment, time, and patience. It’s not a practical solution for an office.
Recycling
What’s the difference between shredding and recycling? We discussed this topic earlier in another blog, but it is worth revisiting the topic. Using a big recycling bin and tipping your documents inside can seem like a practical, green solution. By neglecting to shred, however, you are skipping a crucial step because it is not enough to dispose of your paper, you must destroy it too. This is the only way to protect any confidential information your documents contain and to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Shredding in bulk
Shredding in bulk is similar to shredding with a normal office shredder but with some key differences. Firstly, you use industrial scale equipment that allows you to get through all of the paper much faster. Secondly, these shredders tend to destroy their contents much more throughly and render them completely past the point of recovery. Here’s how it works: you call a company like Pulp and arrange a time that suits you (this can be on a regular or one off basis). Next, your shredding partner will arrive and destroy all of the designated paper on site using a mobile shredding truck. If you opt for a regular service, you will also be provided with secure consoles to store any paper waste in between visits. Simplicity itself!
Why shredding in bulk is the best solution
There are a couple of reasons why shredding in bulk is the best solution to get rid of large quantities of paper.
- It’s the most practical. Our mobile shredding trucks can access anywhere on the island of Ireland, and bring large-scale shredding services right to your doorstep. All you have to do is direct our staff to the documents that need destroying and we’ll do the rest.
- It’s safe and secure. Our shredders are state-of-the-art. We destroy your documents so throughly that there’s no risk of data breaches, leaks or identity theft. As a bonus, we destroy everything on-site so there’s no risk of anything happening in transit.
- We’re green! Pulp, and other shredding companies, recycle 100% of what we shred. We have saved over 400,000 trees since opening for business, with no end in sight.
When it comes to destroying documents in bulk, shredding with a company like Pulp is easily the best solution. It’s practical, efficient, eco-friendly, and secure! To find out more, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
