Frequently Asked Questions
You might have a lot of questions about our paper shredding services, the right shredding service for your needs, and using our customer portal. Find quick answers to your questions on our document destruction services, account information, and information security and more! Read below.
In order to determine the best option, consult with one of our Certified Information Security Professionals. They will create a shredding service that is custom tailored to fit the needs of your business depending on your paper usage.
If your paper shredding needs are time sensitive, we are now offering Express and Priority services for your one-time shredding needs where you can schedule a guaranteed 2 or 5-day turnaround.1
If you choose a regular service and your container fills up too fast, just give us a call. We’ll be happy to schedule an extra pick-up or provide you with additional containers.
If you choose a one-time cleanout and you see that you actually require shredding performed on a more regular basis we can upgrade you to a regularly-scheduled service.
All to say, there is no wrong choice. At Shred-it, we are ready to protect what matters and keep your information secure.
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1. Availability may vary by location and must purchase Express or Priority service.
Demagnetizing, degaussing or hitting your old hard drive with a hammer will not protect you from potentially having your data stolen. Shred-it offers two types of hard drive destruction, making information irretrievable. One method is our hard drive punch which destroys the hard drive by punching a hole straight through the platters and our other method is hard drive shearing which slices the hard drive into smaller pieces that cannot be reassembled.
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Recycling is great for the environment, but it leaves documents exposed to risk. People dig through blue bins looking for documents and often find confidential information. Given the opportunity, insider fraudsters will take materials of interest if they find them.
All documents need to be placed in locked containers to prevent any access and keep documents secure until they are shredded.
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When document shredding is done in-house, there are several hidden costs involved. Firstly, employees have to set aside valuable work hours to separate paper, remove paper clips and staples and actually carry out the shredding. Secondly, using office strip-cut shredders makes it easy for confidential documents to be pieced back together, therefore exposing the business to a data breach that could end up costing thousands of dollars. Shred-it performs the same task within minutes, with its proprietary cross-cut shredding technology to ensure that data cannot be reassembled.
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Storage fees are an added cost to the business and given that all documents eventually outlive their useful purpose, why continue to pay for something you no longer need?
Retaining documents for too long can actually put your business at risk of non-compliance. It’s good practice to establish a retention schedule for the length of time records should be stored, taking into account legal privacy requirements as well as the records’ usefulness to the business. Once this retention period has passed, you should destroy your documents using a trusted partner like Shred-it.
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Many of our locations offer drop-off services, so you can bring a small quantity of documents and get them securely destroyed. In addition, Shred-it's enterprise solutions include services designed for large organizations, such as consolidated billing, a dedicated customer service team and detailed reporting
We can shred just about anything, but we mostly shred paper. And instead of using conventional strip-cut shredders, we use cross-cut shredding technology that can reduce the paper to fine, confetti-like pieces.
Our unique technology can even destroy other materials like fabric, plastic, electronics and metals. Yes, that means CDs, USB drives, videotapes, DVDs and even casino chips.
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Recycling companies are not designed to provide security for your confidential waste or comply with privacy legislation. Instead, your documents are hand-sorted off-site, primarily to ensure quality of recycled materials, which leaves your confidential information exposed. At Shred-it, our primary objective is secure document shredding, but we also recycle all the materials that we shred into a variety of useful paper products.
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Not at all. All you need to do is put the documents into the locked containers we provide and that's it. You don't have to worry about removing anything else, not even paper clips, staples or binder clips. Our shredders can handle that.
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After putting the documents into Shred-it's locked containers, they enter our Secure Chain of Custody. From collection at your site, by one of our Certified Information Security Professionals, to shredding your documents at one of our secured facilities, we protect your information every step of the way.
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After the paper has been securely shredded, the confetti-sized pieces are bundled and recycled into paper products.
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p>Shred-it offers residential pickups at some branch locations. Your best bet is to contact us directly so we can customize a solution for you. As an alternative, you can always consider using our drop-off service.
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Shred-it has the largest geographic footprint in the shredding industry. We have a National Accounts Program that can provide centralized management of your document destruction services, no matter where your other offices are located. Find a Shred-it location near you
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Shred-it is in the business of security - and trust, which is why we require criminal background checks for all job candidates applying for any position. However, for our employees with access to confidential customer material, they are required to complete an annual full background check and are subjected to random drug screening (where applicable by law), as per the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) requirements.
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p>Free shredding is a misconception. Some providers may offer you the cost savings, but they do so at the expense of your security, by cutting corners and exposing your confidential information. At Shred-it, we offer a Secure Chain of Custody with our services, from start to finish. So you know you’re always protected.
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Our state-of-the-art shedders use cross-cut shredding technology, which destroys your confidential materials into confetti-sized pieces, so they can never be reconstructed. During the on-site or mobile shredding process, a representative of your business is welcome to come out to our specially-designed shredding truck to witness the process for added peace of mind.
At the end of each shredding service, we provide our customers with a Certificate of Destruction to confirm the exact date of service, thereby guaranteeing the safe disposal of all confidential materials.
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p>Shred-it employees receive a great deal of on-going training, designed to keep them up-to-date on everything about information security, including new privacy legislation and compliance best practices. Hands-on training is provided in the classroom, online, and in the field, which means you get a knowledgeable expert who will understand your business and keep you protected.
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A security risk assessment helps to determine the level of information security in your business by identifying security risks and offering tips on how to put a safe and secure document shredding program in place.
When you call Shred-it, a Certified Information Security Professional will accompany you on a walk-through of your workplace to observe the flow of confidential information, identify current practices and potential areas of risk. When they are done, they will sit down with you and review the risks - and solutions.
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p>Community Shred-it events raise awareness about identity theft and fraud by reminding community members about the importance of securely destroying personal documents. Shred-it partners with organizations all over North America to host local events where people can destroy their personal documents. Some of our shredding events also partner with local charities where donations are collected for a worthy cause.
To find out when the next Community Shred-it event takes place in your area, visit our community events page.
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If your container fills up too fast, just give us a call. We’ll be happy to schedule an extra pick-up. If it starts to happen often, you have the option to add additional containers or increase the frequency of your service.
We are now offering Express and Priority services for your one-time service needs where you can schedule a guaranteed 2 or 5-day turnaround.1
1. Availability may vary by location and must purchase Express or Priority service
Shred-it uses cross-cut shredders that comply with the shred size requirements set by the National Association for Information Destruction, commonly known as NAID.
To add yet another level of security, all the shredded paper is mixed with shredded paper from earlier jobs in the day.