Everything You Need to Know About Shredding Sensitive Waste Paper

Scraps of seemingly useless information tossed in the trash may be synergistically related. Analysis can reveal the big picture to outsiders. Reducing the availability of these puzzle parts is an important counterespionage responsibility. Stealing trash is believed to be the number one business espionage trick.

Shredding Checklist

• Encourage the destruction of all waste paper as soon as it becomes waste.
• Make a deskside crosscut shredder your primary weapon.
• Large volume waste will require a larger, bulk crosscut shredder.
• Place a shredder or locked bin next to photocopy machines in sensitive areas.
• Extend shredding efforts to key executives’ home offices as well.
• Never save confidential papers in a box under the desk “to be shredded later.”
• Always use crosscut type (or better) shredders.
• Retire any strip-cut shredders you are using.
• Once shredders or locked bins are in place, remind people to use them.
• Do not entrust bulk wastepaper destruction to paper recyclers unless they can destroy on-site using a truck-mounted shredder (and you can watch). Cart and shred only when sheer bulk dictates this as the logical choice and the material is not highly sensitive. Otherwise, destroy it yourself before recycling.

The big shredder purchasing mistake… Buying just one large central shredder for everyone to use. Reason: Not everyone will use it. Why? Too inconvenient.

People are too busy to be bothered to walk over to a shredder every time they should. A better choice - several convenient deskside crosscut shredders, or locked storage bins. This is one perk which has a very positive payback.

Did You Know?…  

There are people who will reassemble shredded strips, and computer programs which can optically piece together shredded strips, too.

Buyers Guide to Shredders 

Shredder manufacturers and distributors...

http://tinyurl.com/Dahle-Shredders

http://tinyurl.com/Lynde-Ordway

http://tinyurl.com/abcosolutions

http://tinyurl.com/abe-online

http://tinyurl.com/alleghenyshredders

http://tinyurl.com/ameri-shred

http://tinyurl.com/papershredders

http://tinyurl.com/cumminsshredders

http://tinyurl.com/Dahle4Shredders

http://tinyurl.com/eccobusiness

http://tinyurl.com/FellowesShredders

http://tinyurl.com/gbc-shredder

http://tinyurl.com/IdealShredders

http://tinyurl.com/industrialshredders

http://tinyurl.com/intimus

http://tinyurl.com/mbmcorp

http://tinyurl.com/semshred

http://tinyurl.com/somatcompany

http://tinyurl.com/whitakerbrothers

• Replace your stripcut shredders with crosscut (or better) models. Stripcut models do not provide business-level security.  
• Deskside crosscut shredders are also available from retails stores such as Staples or Office Depot.

~Kevin