JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Your personal information is everywhere: bills, bank statements, blank checks. Even credit card offers and magazine subscriptions. If you don't take the disposal of this personal information very seriously, it could cost you.
"The main reason is identity theft is the fastest growing criminal act in the world for nine years in a row. One out of every three people will lose their identity just this year," warned Chris Shepherd, a shredding service expert.
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Residential paper shredding reduces the risk of having your confidential documents stolen and used against you. But if you don't want to do it yourself, shredding companies can make it easy.
"A lot of questions are "do you have to prepare the paper?" and you really don't. That's what we're all about. You don't have to take the staples, the paper clips, all that stuff out of the paper. It all goes right through the shredder, which is very nice and very fast and convenient," Shepherd said.
"If your New Year's resolution is to get your house organized, getting rid of old documents can be a great approach, but using your own individual shredder can be time-consuming and it can constantly jam, so you might consider hiring a paper shredding company that can do this job in minutes," added Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List.
If you're going to hire help, look for a company that's happy to showcase its process. You should be able to watch your items literally go through the shredder so you know your information can't be pieced back together.
"That's our whole concept. You stay and watch. You know it's done, it's taken care of, and so you have a peace of mind," Shepherd said.
To reduce the risk of your documents being reconstructed, the shredded material typically goes into bales with multiple customers' shredded documents before being recycled.
As far as pricing goes, options vary, but many companies charge by the minute or pound. Others have their own system that customers can easily understand.
"When you go to the grocery store, they say, "paper or plastic?" A plastic bag full of that, it's only $5. And then the big brown sack is $10. You bring a typical banker box in, a standard banker box, that's $15," explained Shepherd.
But before you hand over that box or bag, always double check your documents.
"You don't want to have buyer's remorse when it comes to shredding, so be sure you look through all your document pile very carefully before you shred. Otherwise, you could end up shredding something important. Also, be sure the company you're hiring isn't actually going to be handling and going through the documents that you're passing over because, again, you're doing this for your own protection and privacy," said Hicks.
"Make sure that there's not money in there. We do shred money," added Shepherd.
When looking for a paper shredding company, Angie's List says check to see if it's certified by the National Association of Information Destruction or NAID.
Angie's List: What Should I Shred?
Not sure what you should shred? Anything that has personal, identifying information should be disposed of properly.
- Expired licenses
- Credit card bills
- Bank statements
- Old legal documents
- Voided checks
- ATM receipts
- Solicited pre-approved credit card applications
- Any document that has your Social Security number on it
Angie's List Tips: Hiring a Shredder Service
- Look into the company's reputation. Make sure they have a record of protecting sensitive information.
- Find a company that will show you their process. You should be able to watch your items through the process, and it shouldn't be shrouded in secrecy.
- Make sure they use a cutting method that maximizes the protection of information. A shredding company shouldn't use strip-cut shredders, the cut needs to be more complex.
Angie's List: Types of Paper Shredders
Many News4JAX readers and viewers have asked if we are planning another free shredding event for 2015. Last year, we teamed up with Wise Money Week and Family Foundations to allow several days of free shredding. We checked, and we're told details are still being worked out, but there is a plan to offer free shredding the week of April 26, 2015. We will release exact dates, times and locations as soon as it is finalized.