The first paper shredder was manufactured by Adolf Ehinger in 1935. At the time, the paper was shredded using a manual crank, and it was not until years later that larger industries began using them on a larger scale. The 1960s were when the crank was replaced by a motor, allowing banks and government corporations to use them.
1984 was a crucial turning point, as the supreme court ruled that warrants could be issued to search through trash cans. In addition, the added worry of identity theft caused more people to look to paper shredders to provide personal and corporate security.
While people may be hesitant to seek out a professional shredding company, there are no other reliable options. There are people who specifically seek out trash cans and landfills, searching for the kind of documents that could have legal ramifications, as well as making identity theft much easier. Paper shredding companies are the best option available when it comes to proper document disposal.
1. Reliable or not?
The problem is that most of these paper shredders are unreliable, and do not accomplish what people need from them. Just because they are cutting up the paper, that does not necessarily mean the information is impossible to access.
With regular office shredders, it is difficult just to get them to function effectively. They will often jam and eventually break down. Even when they are working, these shredders often do not shred the paper enough to guarantee the security that is being sought out. There are far too many ways for an office shredder to be ineffective to trust them. The only way to get a guarantee that the documents are destroyed is to go to a professional shredding company that will provide a legally binding certificate, assuring that the documents are destroyed.
2. Sensitive information
Simply throwing the documents in the trash is making potentially sensitive information easily accessible to someone looking in the right places. It is impossible to protect any information on documents that have been put in the trash. Potential threats can monitor which companies or individuals are properly destroying their documents, making it far too risky to just dump anything important in trash that too many people have access to.
Recycling also presents many problems. The paper that is recycled will inevitably resurface. Even if it may not be as intact as documents thrown in the trash, recycling will not properly destroy documents, meaning all the information they contain will still be available to those who know how to find it.
3. Legal risks
When dealing with legal matters and identity theft, there is no sense is trying these alternatives that will prove to be ineffective. If you are looking to protect your information and destroy documents, the only way to have complete security is from a professional company that provides the certificate.
Legal matters and identity theft are issues that could threaten the livelihood of individuals and corporations. It is vital for everyone to protect the sensitive information that could end up in the trash or recycling, and there is far too much risk in the alternatives. The only way to effectively protect yourself from these dangers is by the professional companies that offer the certificate guaranteeing the job is done properly.
4. Costly complications
On top of all the issues of risk, office shredders can often prove to be costlier. Technical difficulties are far too prominent in office shredders and the cost to purchase and maintain one of them can be worse that going to a professional company.
More often than not, an office shredder will either break down and not provide the service that is needed, or there will be repairs that continue to drive up how much money is being spent. Financially and for security, there is too much risk with office shredders.
