How do you get rid of (shred) a large amount of stuff?
We have boxes of records that are past the point we need to keep them. We also inherited a lot of boxes of the same from my FIL's estate - in his case going back to the 80's.
My home shredder only does a few sheets at a time - it would take weeks to go through out this and probably burn out after the first night. My work uses a shredding service - you dump stuff in locked bins. I'd easily fill up a few bins with all my stuff.
What's the cheapest way to get rid of this? I know sometimes there are "free shredding days" via banks and the like, but I'm not sure how to find out about them.
by
tsfisch
asked 5 months ago
backyard firepits with a mesh top (to prevent them from floating away under a breeze) are my go-to choice for large amounts of documents.
some company, some beer, a brisk night and a roaring fire that you have to feed constantly since it burns so quickly is fun :)
@tsfisch: Look in your area for someone who does this. There are indeed "free" days for shredding, but they often limit you to a single box, and it sounds like you have quite a bit. I strongly recommend against burning. For one, you may discover that it's a large fine, depending on where you are. For another, if these are records that fall under GLB or HIPPA, burning will not satisfy the requirement for proper handling.
Try calling these folks:
http://www.1800shredding.com/?gclid=CNSyq56Hya0CFQduhwodBl3ihQ
(yeah, yeah, I know, but they're reputable, and will point you to someone in your area)
depending on how obsessed you are about destruction you could take it to the local recycling drop off. in our town they have multiple drops where you can add bulk paper that they shred before sending off for recycle.
take some to work everyday and split it up into separate shred bins on each floor and office. i've seen those guys who pickup the shred, they bring carts to take the shred away in locked bags. give them something to do because they look bored
@moosezilla: This is mostly financial statements and tax returns. Not something I'd feel comfortable tossing in the recycle bin.
@w00tgurl: I work for a fairly small company. We have one large bin in the copy room and I think one small one in a different area. I'm not sure how often these get dumped out, but I doubt it's very often.
Burning is allowed here, and I've considered it, but wasn't sure how practical that would be either...
Thanks for all the advice so far.
All I know is if you have/can borrow a kid to do this it is a fun task for them. My mom used to let us shred things for her(sometimes giving us a few dollars depending on how much there was) and we LOVED it. Obviously the child has to be old enough to not stick things in they aren't supposed to and young enough to not understand/care about what you are shredding.
@tsfisch: Since this is mostly personal stuff, just ask at your bank or credit union. They may know of resources that we do not. In fact, it is very likely. You might also do a quick search on the web site for your local paper (I just did this on a couple of random ones), and see if there's been anything announced, or anything that's regularly held.
You might also want to see if this might work for you:
Call up your "cat person" friend (I'm pretty sure everyone has one). Then scatter all of the records in a relatively small room of their house. Set about 10 - 20 mice loose in the room (they're nearly dime a dozen at pet stores). Put three to give cats in and close the door. Wait a day or so, then sweep the mess into garbage bags.
Having a commercial shredding company when I had about 10 huge contractor bags filled with stuff such as yours from my dad and my late husband was kind of expensive but they did bring the truck to my home, didn't have to remove the staples and 3-ring binders, etc. There are several such companies where I live - and with some of them you can deliver the bags to their site, thereby reducing the cost somewhat. They were way too heavy for me. I think it was about $75.00. I did like not having to bother what I threw in there, and I was able to watch the entire thing too.
If you are in no particular hurry to get rid of it all at once, there are a couple of banks that will let you add stuff to their containers if you are a customer.
Fire! heh, heh...
Seriously, I would if it weren't against the law here. Leaves, papers, you name it.
@shrdlu: Geez, I hate opening a link that automatically starts talking to me! I often click the link but won't actually look at the page until I'm finished with the one I'm reading, so I then have to hunt a half dozen or more tabs to find the noisy one. A word of warning next time, please?
@magic cave: Just a quick note (because it's REALLY early for me, and I usually hit Deals last, long after coffee, and long after other, more important things)...
I have all those things blocked, so I had no idea that it was one of those sneaky flash (or similar) sites. Sorry for your wake up call; if I'd known it was there, I'd have pointed it out.
Yes, sites that make noise or do other unexpected things are high on my list to hate. For the edification of others, are you speaking of the Waste Management link, or the 1 800 Shredding link?
In the DC area, there is at least one office supply/service company that offers free shredding daily as a "community service." They do have a five box limit, and I don't know what they charge for overage. But you could make it a weekly project.
Other companies that I have seen will have a sign out front, saying that they will be hosting shredding parties (Enron anyone?) on the 1st Saturday of the month or something similar.
I'd suggest a few phone calls to companies that offer that service. Given the volume implied, it may be worth your while to pay to have this stuff dealt with all at once. Or you could ask if they have a free shred day, and what the limits are.
There's a recycling company in our town that will also shred for free. They will take your dropped off paper for recycling, and you buzz them to take the shredding.
I'm sure they're making money somehow, but I like the free shredding thing! I work for a lawyer's office, and we drop boxes off there periodically (small things we shred ourselves).
You may want to call your lawyer for ideas/see if they will take the stuff.
@shrdlu: It was the 1 800 Shredding link. You'll probably laugh at why I was annoyed this particular morning: I was up much earlier than usual (unhappily so) and was trying to keep my two dogs from hearing me and demanding to go out, get fed, get petted, etc.
How pitiful is it to have to sneak around the house to avoid waking the dogs?!
Gas-ooooooooo-line!
@tsfisch: the Office Depot free shredding deal was reposted, and it's still going on
print the coupon out several times and bring in 5 pounds at a time for free shredding
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