We Have Our Own Shredder; Why Should We Use a Shredding Company?

Whether it’s customer details, client and supplier information, financial records or employee files, all organisations possess sensitive information.

And whilst most invest in digital technology to store this data, a large percentage of it will still be printed out on paper.

However, leaving documents with sensitive information lying around the office for longer than necessary increases the chance of a data breach, which can cause devastating reputational and financial damage to an organisation.

Here at ShredPro, we help businesses with this by providing professional shredding services that help companies dispose of their paper waste securely.

If you already have an office shredder, you might be wondering why you would need the services of an external shredding company, but there are actually lots of reasons.

The experience and equipment of a professional shredding company can be very difficult – if not impossible – to replicate if you choose to do your shredding yourself.

The benefits of using a professional shredding company

Legal compliance

One of the biggest advantages of using a professional document destruction service is that the equipment, employee training and processes involved are specifically designed to ensure compliance with legal requirements for data protection. 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires businesses to protect sensitive data in a secure manner. The Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees the enforcement of GDPR, says: “You must ensure that you have appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal data you hold.”

Deleting your unrequired data in a secure way, authorised with a shredding certificate of destruction, can help with compliance. The ICO adds: “Deleting records that you no longer need, or are not proportionate to retain any longer, is an essential part of a good records management system.”

The Information Commissioner’s Office has the powers to enforce fines for breaches of data, so compliance with legal requirements is essential. The higher maximum amount for offences is £17.5 million or 4% of the total annual worldwide turnover in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher.

A certificate of destruction

Some organisations want to go one step further when it comes to legal compliance; they want documentation to give evidence of it.

Following every paper shredding service, ShredPro will issue you with a certificate of destruction.

This document confirms that your documents have been shredded in compliance with data protection regulations and to European standards EN15713, which can help to protect your business from liability.

Our certificate of destruction can also be issued on-site, so you are not waiting for confirmation that your confidential documents have been disposed of and you are therefore no longer liable for them.

If you have no record of the shredding you have done in the office, in the event of a data breach, your business might have a harder time demonstrating compliance with data protection laws.

Enhanced security

Crimes involving identity theft and information fraud are on the rise. Piles of paper building up next to the office shredder or improperly shredded documents can pose an unnecessary risk to your business and the security of your data.

With a professional shredding company like ShredPro, you can rest assured that your confidential documents have been destroyed properly and minimise the chance of identity theft to almost zero.

We have a range of lockable waste containers and security bags available for customers to keep confidential waste safe in the workplace. All consoles, containers and security sacks are delivered and supplied free of charge.

Employees can simply deposit documents in the containers and bags as they are generated. No training or equipment is required.

We provide secure transportation and waste processing facilities and thoroughly vet and train our employees.

Efficiency

Industrial shredding equipment can process documents much more efficiently than standard office shredders.

At ShredPro we can shred up to 2,000kg in an hour. This is forty times faster than office shredders and three times faster than some of our competitors.

This means that what would take a normal shredder almost seven hours to complete would only take 10 minutes for ShredPro’s on-site service to complete, saving you time and money.

Not having your employees have to sit by the office shredder all day feeding in documents one by one frees them up to do more important things.

There is also no need for staff to waste time preparing documents for shredding. As our shredders are industrial, there is no need to remove staples, paper clips, bindings or anything similar. We only ask that you keep plastic to a minimum.

It can be cost effective

Most businesses assume that it is cheaper to purchase their own shredding equipment and handle the destruction of documents in-house, but this isn’t always the case.

Companies that have had to deal with the expensive fallout of a data breach would definitely disagree. After the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018, which removed the cap on the fines which the Information Commissioner’s Office could issue, we have seen some of the biggest penalties for data breaches. During 2020/2021, the ICO issued a record amount of £42m in fines.

Aside from this, the cost of investing in shredding equipment, employees taking time away from key tasks to perform shredding duties and the rollout of staff training to ensure compliance with data protection laws can all add up.

At ShredPro, we charge by weight, so you only pay for what you need to be destroyed, and there is no equipment to buy or extensive staff training required.

It’s environmentally friendly

ShredPro recycles 100% of the paper that it shreds. We comply with the environmental management system ISO 14001.

This can help you minimise your environmental impact and demonstrate your commitment to responsible business practice. All our paper is recycled at local UK mills, reducing the impact on the environment and investing in the local economy.

12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard is used in the UK per year, and it takes 24 trees to make a ton of paper. By recycling paper, we not only prevent further trees from being cut down, but the production of recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than making paper from the raw materials.

ShredPro follows strict processes to help keep confidential information safe at every stage of the waste disposal process, which can be hard to replicate when using the office shredder.

If you’re looking for a paper shredding company that can provide you with a certificate of destruction, contact us today. We offer a variety of paper shredding services to fit your needs, and we’re committed to protecting your data.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our paper shredding services. We are confident that you will be happy with our services.

“ShredPro have provided a reliable and professional shredding service, supplying neat containers that complement the existing office furniture. Monthly collections are carried out by friendly professional staff who collect and destroy all documents on site erasing any concerns we had regarding security. ShredPro provide a very proficient service and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them.”

Becki Morrow
BBC ALBA Broadcasting Corporation