Paper Shredders

Paper Shredders

Paper shredders are one of the most common and universally visible types of shredders. Along with various other functions, paper shredders serve to protect privacy through information destruction and to condense paper waste for recycling.

Paper shredders vary in size from small units used in homes and offices to large commercial shredders, often owned by commercial shredding services. These shredders can often shred thousands of pounds of paper per hour. Some commercial shredders can also be built into the backs of trucks to provide mobile shredding services for businesses.

Paper shredders are classified according to the type of end-product they create. Strip-cut shredders produce long strips the same length as the paper being shredded. While common in homes and small businesses, these shredders are the least secure and produce the highest bulk of waste. Cross-cut shredders, in contrast, use two rotating drums to create smaller rectangle or parallelogram shaped pieces, while particle-cut shredders create tiny square or circular pieces. Granulators and disintegrators are different yet, cutting paper randomly until it is small enough to pass through a mesh. Grinders act similarly, grinding the paper until it is able to pass through a mesh. Hammermills pass paper through a screen, thereby shredding it. Lastly, pierce and tear shredders perform just as labeled, piercing the paper and tearing it apart.

Paper shredders are widely used in banks, hospitals, large corporations, and government agencies that need to destroy information to protect security, prevent identity theft, and conform to privacy regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Billey Act (GLB), and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA). Paper shredders provide a cost-efficient, effective means of waste removal and security.