Shredders - FAQ

Anyone who has information or data in printed form that they would not wish to get into the hands of someone else should seriously think about routinely using a shredder.

That includes all householders, anyone with a bank, credit or store card account, anyone who has a loan or applies for credit, any business, company or trader, anyone who holds information about third parties ..... the list goes on and on!

Documents that fall into the hands of fraudsters can be used for Identity Theft. The motive for this is usually to steal money but even if the sums involved are covered by the bank, the credit card company or some form of insurance, the problems and inconvenience involved in 'clearing' the victim's credit rating and records can be considerable.

When business documents are involved, there may be other motives. Carelessly disposed of drafts of plans and other internal documents can give a competitor an enormous and damaging insight into the company's affairs.

The list of items that should be securely disposed of is surprisingly large. Personal documents include..

• Pre-approved credit card offers
• Bank and credit card statements
• Old utility bills
• Voided/cancelled cheques
• Credit applications and reports
• Credit card and cash point receipts
• Medical records
• Tax returns
Anything with a signature on it

Business items include most of the above and many more in addition..

• Business, sales and marketing plans
• Sales data
• Client lists
• Customer records and data
• Personnel records, CVs
• R & D information
• Accounts records and data
• Land and building leases
• Legal records
• Data CDs, old credit cards

And don't forget items such as spoilt letters and invoices. Even purchase orders that are often just screwed up and thrown away can be an excellent source of information to unauthorised persons both outside and inside the company.

Shredders are either Strip Cut or Cross Cut. Cross Cut Shredders provide a higher level of security and the choice between them depends on the importance of the material being shredded. See the section on Shredder Security Levels for more information.

Home and Personal shredders are usually compact and lightweight in design. They are designed for occasional use - typically 10-20 shredding passes per day.

Small Office and Deskside shredders are designed for higher throughput levels - typically 25-50 passes per day. Because of this, they are heavier and more durable than home shredders. They are also larger because they are more robust and also because they need to hold more shredded waste. However, they are still small enough to fit neatly into a small office. Some of the more robust smaller shredders are capable of shredding CDs and credit cards as well as paper waste.

General Office shredders are designed for still heavier use - typically 50-150 passes per day and even more for the more robust, higher level models. They are designed to be highly durable and efficient and are larger still because of the need to hold large volumes of shredded waste. Many models also incorporate waste handling systems, such as mobile shredder bag trolleys and the like and a high proportion of general office shredders can shred CDs and credit cards as well as high volumes of paper waste.

Heavy Duty office shredders are the fastest and most robust that are used in a general office situation. They are capable of very high throughputs and often of continuous use. As a result many incorporate safety and other features to protect the shredder mechanism and also the operator and they are often sited in a central location serving the shredding needs of the whole company. Computer room shredders usually have to be reasonably heavy duty because of the width of the material they have to handle (computer printout) and also the sheer volume.

Commercial shredders are fast, heavy duty shredders which are capable of continuous, very high throughputs. Because of their size and considerations such as noise, they are usually not suitable for working in other than 'industrial' type environments. Many also require a 3-phase electrical supply.

This mainly concerns companies and largely depends on the importance or sensitivity of the material. The more important or sensitive the waste material, the sooner it should be shredded. So there's an argument for having a shredder right next to the person creating the waste or next to a photocopier, for example, to ensure that spoilt copies can be disposed of immediately and not left lying around in an open waste bin.

There is also another consideration. Some companies put paper waste, such as draft letters, spoilt invoices and the like to one side for shredding later at a 'central' location. This encourages staff to throw them away in ordinary wastepaper baskets as they don't like to have stuff lying around. This is obviously not desirable, and in any case, if items are left in unsecured containers for many hours, or even days, before being shredded, this gives plenty of time for unauthorised people, such as office cleaners, to browse through them at their leisure.

So a good rule is, shred immediately if possible, but if not, place items in a secure container for shredding later.

This again mainly concerns companies and follows on from the above. For the person creating the waste to be able to dispose of it immediately, ideally they need a shredder right next to them (Deskside). At the very least, if the waste is highly sensitive, it should be within a very short walking distance (General Office) otherwise the material will be put to one side for shredding later, and sometimes then forgotten, or possibly even placed in a normal open wastepaper basket.

If the waste material is less sensitive and in companies where it is not possible, perhaps for cost reasons, to have several smaller shredders dotted around at workstations etc, it is appropriate for there to be a central shredder (Central, Heavy Duty). This may also be preferable if all the material produced is very sensitive and needs to be shredded with a high level of security. In such cases there will obviously be a delay between the waste being produced and being shredded and it is then advisable, and absolutely essential if the material is highly sensitive or confidential, for it to be placed and stored before shredding in secure, locked containers.