If you run an office, you’ve probably already gotten a paper shredder for your office. Paper shredders are considered invaluable by most people who produce documents containing sensitive information on a regular or semi-regular basis.
Not convinced? Allow me to get into deeper detail.
What’s a Paper Shredder?
A paper shredder is a machine we use to cut paper into either thin strips or fine particles. They are widely used in the corporate world, government offices, and by private individuals. They are indispensable for destroying documents you consider sensitive, confidential, or private.
Do you want to dispose of that bad first draft of the report you’ve been working on? Throw it into the shredder. You can also shred credit cards, tax documents, bank account statements, bills, CD’s, and so forth.
Here’s a video that will help you:
Benefits of Paper Shredders
1. They Keep You One step Ahead of Fraudsters
Fraud has become a serious problem with the increase in cyber-crime. But even hackers sometimes have to rely on analog methods. That’s why shredding sensitive documents is considered a foolproof method of preventing potential fraud or identity theft.
You should do what privacy experts advise us to do. Shred your bills, credit card and bank account statements, tax forms, and other documents which thieves or fraudsters could turn into weapons against you.
2. Waste Management
Over time documents and paper work pile up. Did you know that the average office work uses whopping 10,000 sheets of copy paper per year? Multiply that by the number of people in your organization.
No doubt getting rid of such a staggering quantity of waste paper is a logistical nightmare. But with a paper shredder, you can efficiently and effectively dispose of waste paper. If documents are shredded, there is no longer any ambiguity or confusion as to which documents are necessary and which should be discarded.
3. Environmental Consciousness
Some more statistics. So the average office work has an annual copy paper consumption of 10,000 sheets. But did you know that 45% of the paper used in offices is trashed before the day is over? Or that U.S. companies spend over $120 billion annually on printed forms? I should add that most of these forms get outdated in three measly months.
Think of the environmental impact. Each year 17 billion cubic feet of timber is harvested worldwide. Those are dead trees. 60% of these are used to manufacture paper and pulp. And if that isn’t enough to make you hate yourself a little bit every time you waste paper, consider this: just to make one ton of product, the paper industry consumes more water than other existing industry.
I have loads more statistics, but I will give just one more: the paper you throw away doesn’t disappear into a vacuum. 35% of all solid waste in municipal landfill sites is discarded paper.
The paper shredder isn’t a magical environment-fixing device, but it does provide for several recycling options. Once you have shredded the paper, the chad produced can be used to pad items for shipping instead of using Styrofoam. Styrofoam is non-biodegradable, so using shredded paper instead is the eco-friendly alternative. You could also use the chad for composting.
4. Cost-effective
One way or another, you will have to get rid of your waste paper. You can either get your company a shredder or outsource. I think you will agree that shredding your documents yourself trumps paying a mobile shredding service to do it for you. Not only is it less expensive, but it’s also less risky.
5. Client Privacy
In some businesses, certain documents require you to destroy them to safeguard your customers’ privacy. It may even be a legal requirement–think HIPAA or government documents.
And even if your business does not have any such legal obligation, you will agree with me that the privacy of your clients should always come first. What better way to justify your customers’ faith in you than to shred any sensitive documents that have information you don’t want getting into the hands of fraudsters?
6. They Are Convenient
Having a shredder close at hand makes the disposal of waste paper so much easier. There is no need to walk out of your office. Not only will it make life easier for you, but it will also boost your productivity. With your employees concentrating on their core tasks, productivity will rise.
Conclusion
Do I think paper shredders are worth it? Yes. Yes, I do. Think about it: they help you evade fraudsters, help you maintain legal or regulatory compliance, they are cost effective, they help conserve the environment, and they are highly convenient. Win-win.