Why Should I Shred?
The main reasons people choose to shred paper instead of simply disposing of it focus mainly on the security and environmental concerns businesses may have.
Financial Documents
Corporations are the most common clients for paper shredding companies to serve. Large corporations create huge amounts of documents that need to be destroyed so that competitors will not have access to them. Financial information has to be protected, and when companies decide to dispose of them, they must be certain that no other companies will be able to access them at any time.
Medical Documents
If a patient has been diagnosed with a disease, the last thing they would want is for the doctor to announce it. Doctors must protect the privacy of their patients, not only for ethical reasons but because the laws around medical confidentiality prevents people from accessing the medical records of other people, and the best way to prevent that is to destroy the documents.
A More Environmental Method Of Document Disposal
Before the paper shredder, the most common way of disposing of documents was to burn them. Burning paper is not safe for the environment, as it contributes to destroying the ozone layer. With climate change becoming more prominent, certain measures must be taken to decrease the amount of damage we do.
Shredding paper is environmentally sound, as the shredded pieces can still be used. For example, the shredded bits of paper can be used for compost. Paper is not wasted by being thrown into landfills, but rather is used to help grow trees, which are very good for the environment. Another ideal use for shredded paper is stuffing materials, usually animal bedding is stuffed with shredded paper. There are so many ways to reuse paper, making paper shredding the best method of document disposal for those who are concerned with the environment.