Paper Shredding Costs

Paper shredding allows your business to eliminate sensitive information and important documents. While some businesses choose to shred files due to privacy concerns, other businesses are actually mandated to destroy certain pieces of information when the time comes for disposal. Paper shredding services fulfill a need for many types of companies. Shredding services have procedures in place that help businesses to properly destroy documents in an efficient manner. Quickpapershredding.com helps you determine if utilizing a paper shredding service is the most effective way for your company to destroy documents.

Benefits of Using a Shredding Service

Some businesses choose to shred paper in the office using small paper shredders, such as the type available for purchase in big box stores. This option uses employee time, it raises the electricity bill, and it creates wear and tear on the machine. An in-office machine might also require employees to remove paper clips and staples prior to shredding, wasting even more time. There are several benefits to using a shredding service:

• It's affordable – On-site and off-site paper shredding is affordable. The prices are usually charged per box or per pound, depending on which service you choose. The money spent on paying a shredding service would more than pay for the production hours wasted each month when employees spend time shredding.
• It saves time – What a small in-office shredder can do in one hour, a truck-mounted on-site shredder could do in seconds.
• You can oversee the service – Because the process is so fast, you can watch the shredding take place without wasting valuable hours from your day.
• It's a certifiable process – If your industry requires that document destruction take place using a certain method, hiring a paper shredding service is the way to go.

On-Site Paper Shredding Service Prices

The cost of on-site paper shredding will vary depending on the method you choose. On-site shredding can be done as a regularly scheduled service—in which case you just pay a flat fee each invoicing period to shred a pre-determined number of containers filled with documents. This service can be scheduled in any interval that meets the needs of your company. Perhaps you will use this service every five days, while the business next door will use it only once every other month. As an alternative to scheduled service, your business may want to utilize a bulk shredding service from one to four times each year. This is optimal for companies who do not regularly dispose of paper documents, but rather purge large amounts of paperwork on a semi-annual to annual basis.

For both bulk shredding and scheduled service, some companies will charge you a price per box while other companies will charge by the pound. Quite often, paper shredding services offer both types of pricing and will give you the option of how you would like to be charged for services. Additionally, companies may invoice for a fuel surcharge or pick-up fee. This cost can average $60 per trip and is not included in the prices reflected below.

Average Cost of an On-Site Shredding Service

*"Boxes" refers to a standard file storage box; "bin" refers to a 65 gallon locked tote, provided by the shredding service

Off-Site Paper Shredding Service Prices

Off-site shredding offers a less expensive alternative to companies who need to shred files containing protected information. As with on-site services, you have choices when it comes to off-site shredding:

• Have the shredding service pick up your documents. With this option, the shredding service sends a bonded and insured employee to pick up your sensitive files. The documents are trucked back to the shredding facility where they are shredded at the same time as documents from other various businesses. This alternative offers the most convenience of the off-site shredding options.
• Drop off your documents at the shredding plant. This option allows you the ability to deliver the documents directly to the shredding warehouse. This option is less expensive than having your files picked up.
• Take your files to the local drop off location. Many shredding services partner with local office supply stores so local businesses can drop off documents at their convenience. This option is slightly more expensive than dropping directly at the plant; however, it still provides significant savings over having the documents picked up.

Average Cost of an Off-Site Shredding Service

What Documents to Shred

Knowing which documents to keep and which documents to shred is important. Certain documents may be subject to a retention period. Speak with your tax consultant or attorney to find out which documents should be retained for specific amounts of time before purging. When the retention period expires, shredding will help to free up space in your office. Documents containing sensitive information, but which are not subject to a retention period, should also be shredded as an additional security measure. Commonly shredded documents include:

• Outdated proposals
• Cancelled checks
• Medical charts
• Employee files
• Applications for credit
• Receipts containing business or account information
• Ledgers
• Accounts receivable summaries
• Office memos
• Sales reports
• Bank account statements
• Appraisals
• Payment records
• Invoicing materials
• Any documents containing social security numbers
• Expense report data
• Annual projections
• Deposit records
• Loan information
• Expired insurance policies
• Payroll information
• Leasing documents

When the time comes to dispose of old files, outdated financial records, and other documents containing private information, contact a paper shredding service. Choose a monthly service for regular shredding needs, or a drop-off service for the occasional box of files. Quickpapershredding.com provides information on paper shredding services so you can make the best decision for destroying your company's sensitive files.