Shredding services are an important part of business and personal security. Not only do they protect your confidential data, but shredding also helps to protect the environment. According to research conducted by the environmental protection agency and various other sources, the environmental impact of shredding documents could be tremendous. Let’s take a closer look at the statistics of shredding and how hard drive destruction can help to protect the environment.
What is Shredding?
Shredding services are used by businesses and individuals to destroy confidential or sensitive documents. The shredding process breaks the document down into small pieces that cannot be reassembled, making it impossible to read the information contained within. Shredding is a quick and easy way to protect your data, and it also has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly.
Why Use Shredding Services?
The shredding industry has grown significantly in recent years, thanks in part to the increased awareness of the importance of data security. Shredding companies are now able to shred large quantities of paper quickly and efficiently. This means that businesses and individuals can shred their documents in any location without having to worry about the environmental impact.
Shredding and the Environment
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shredding can save trees and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA estimates that for every ton of paper that is shredded, 17 trees are saved. This is because shredding reduces the need to harvest new trees for paper production. In addition, shredding also reduces the amount of methane gas that is released into the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Also, when a person throws a single piece of paper into the trash, that paper becomes around 33% of the municipal solid waste stream. When you take into account the fact that each office worker uses an average of 10,000 sheets of paper each year, you can imagine the impact that such waste is having on our environment.
Hard Drive Destruction
Hard drive shredding is the process of physically destroying a hard drive so that the data it contains can never be accessed again. This is different from simply deleting files, which only removes them from your computer’s file system. Shredding destroys the hard drive itself, making it impossible to recover any of the data it once contained.
Hard drive shredding produces small amounts of electronic waste, which can be recycled and reused. In addition, the process of shredding hard drives uses energy, which can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Shredding is an essential part of protecting your data, and it is also a great way to help the environment. One of the benefits of hiring SAFESHRED is recycling. Whether you use our mobile paper shredding services, off-site shredding, product, or hard drive destruction, we thrive in finding ways to recycle materials previously thought unsuitable for reuse.
If you are looking for a shredding company that can help you protect your data and the environment, contact SAFESHRED. Call us today at 800-987-4733 to get a quote.
