A growing trend is gaining momentum in the document shredding industry. On certain days of the year, local companies and municipalities are hosting ‘Shred Days’ and encouraging residents to bring documents to be destroyed, whether they contain confidential information or are just taking up too much space in the basement. It’s a simple and secure means of document destruction without the hassle of sorting through what’s considered confidential and what’s not.

Shred Days are typically held on weekends for 3 hours. For the residents, the shredding is free, but limited to a set number of Bankers boxes. The shredding companies that are asked to participate handle the disposal of the documents in a couple ways. The first is on-site document shredding, which is exactly what it sounds like, residents will bring their documents, and the shredding company will destroy the documents at that time. The second is done at the shredding company’s facility this is referred to as off-site shredding. Residents bring their documents to the Shred Day, and the shredding company downloads the documents into secure locking containers and then shred the documents at their facility. Whichever process is selected, residents can leave with peace of mind knowing that their sensitive documents have been professionally destroyed

If you are thinking of participating in your local Shred Day, here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Documents must be taken out of metal and plastic binders and binder clips (banana clips) are removed.
• Ads are usually posted online or on the hosting company’s website.
• Ask how many boxes you are allowed to shredded.