Any company uses tens — if not hundreds — of sheets of paper each day. This consists of everything from reports and memoranda to printed out emails and handwritten notes. Although many businesses — in consideration of this fact — have made efforts to go paperless, many still remain a long way off from fully realizing this objective. Hence, companies still continue to generate large amounts of paper waste every day.
Such enormous paper usage also brings up the question of how they are to be disposed of. One of the most promising solutions is to have the paper undergo shredding, wherein the paper is cut into small, fine strips by a machine. This allows the remains to be more manageable and easier to dispose of. Hence, paper shredding is becoming more and more common among companies nowadays.
Here are some benefits that can be gained from choosing to shred your used paper.
Protect confidential data
By shredding any scratch or unneeded paper, you prevent anything on those files from being read. This prevents any sensitive company information from falling into the wrong hands. In contrast, if you were to simply store your old documents away in a room, or just throw it away whole, anybody who finds them can end up being privy to confidential company information. To prevent any possible leaks or security breaches that may result from these, it is best to have any used paper in your office shredded to be safe rather than sorry.
Make your office cleaner and safer
Having stacks of paper strewn all around the office definitely makes the place messier and harder to work in. Not only does it take up much space that could be used elsewhere, but if these are hardly touched, then they can gather dust, contributing to an unhealthy workspace.
Worse, having so much paper lying around also turns your office into a fire hazard. Given that paper is flammable, it will not take long for a small spark to set your entire office up in a blaze should there be paper all over. In order to create a better and safer working environment for yourself and your employees, it is best to dispose of unneeded paper by shredding them.
Ensure that your waste is properly processed
If the paper is simply thrown into the trash bin along with the rest of your garbage, there is a large chance that these will just end up in a landfill. This will further contribute to the already large problem of pollution, as well as waste the potential of paper to be recycled.
Shredded paper fragments can be used to create recycled paper, which uses much fewer resources to produce and prevents trees from being unnecessarily cut down. Typically, recycling centers accept shredded paper, and accredited paper shredding providers sell the shreds to recycling companies as well. By having your scrap paper shredded, you are helping create a more sustainable world.
Although we still have a long way to go before businesses become truly paperless and sustainable, there are simple steps that we could take towards this. One of them is paper shredding, which allows for more efficient disposal — and eventual recycling — of paper. Even these small steps can end up making a large difference for the environment in the long run.
