# Cheap & easy alternative to shredding important papers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143 "2013-10-13T15:58:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/41 "2013-10-14T12:08:12Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Search for a shredding event in town I tried that. Turned out to be a bunch of bad guitar players. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/42 "2013-10-14T12:10:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > In the past I’ve mulched planting beds with a thick layer of scrap paper, then a layer of grass clippings over that. Now I just put the paper on our autumn brush fire in the horse’s pasture. The OP mentioned that many of the papers were in their original envelopes. I would bet that a good number of these envelopes have plastic windows (and may occasionally have plastic inserts inside the envelopes). It would sound like the OP doesn’t want to go through all of the envelopes tearing out the windows or looking for non-paper contents. How well does shredded plastic work for mulching or composting? * * * Here’s an idea: Buy a bag of cement and a barrel. Mix the cement in the barrel, adding paper as you mix. Let dry. Throw away barrel! ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/43 "2013-10-14T12:19:19Z")
A few shredded plastic envelope windows wouldn’t hurt my garden any. And they’d be easy to pick out as you went along. Unshredded, stuff like that makes a good underlayer to prevent grass encroachment along walkways and similar areas. Seems weird but it’s true, a few layers of overlapping paper stops roots pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/44 "2013-10-14T16:02:33Z")
I once took several boxes of shreddable material (more than I wanted to sit there shredding by hand) to a place that destroys stuff in bulk, mostly for commercial entities. My first clue that they generally dealt with large quantities was that they determined the price by weighing _my car_ on the way in, and again on the way out. I was well under the minimum, so it was a flat fee in the end. But anyway, we took the banker’s boxes out of my trunk and then I watched their contents be destroyed. Quick and very impressive. I don’t recall the price, but it compared favorably to my estimate for the time I’d have needed to do it myself. ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/45 "2013-10-14T16:17:01Z")
Some offices have “sensitive paper” bins that have slots like letterboxes on the top. If you work in such a place you could bring your documents in and drop them in the bin there. You could of course argue that these bins are intended for office papers so it depends on how comfortable you are with this. If you want to be discreet you would need to do this over several days. ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/46 "2013-10-14T17:26:38Z")
> [@snorlax](#): > > Some offices have “sensitive paper” bins that have slots like letterboxes on the top. If you work in such a place you could bring your documents in and drop them in the bin there. You could of course argue that these bins are intended for office papers so it depends on how comfortable you are with this. If you want to be discreet you would need to do this over several days. THIS is what I was thinking! I’ve worked in finance for 15+ years and when I’ve needed to, this is what I have used. I just don’t make it too obvious. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/47 "2013-10-14T18:14:11Z")
> [@snorlax](#): > > Some offices have “sensitive paper” bins that have slots like letterboxes on the top. If you work in such a place you could bring your documents in and drop them in the bin there. You could of course argue that these bins are intended for office papers so it depends on how comfortable you are with this. If you want to be discreet you would need to do this over several days. > [@NVME702-redux](#): > > THIS is what I was thinking! I’ve worked in finance for 15+ years and when I’ve needed to, this is what I have used. I just don’t make it too obvious. :smack: That’s what I do. My ‘office’ is about as informal as it gets. I could probably just take the shredder home with me if I wanted to. In fact, the only reason I take the stuff to work is because when I get the mail, if it’s ‘sensitive’ it’s easier to toss it in my car to bring to work, then to bring it down to my basement where my shredder is and then to have to empty that thing once in a while. This makes for bringing in one or two things a week and tossing them in the shredder as I walk by it. On top of that, I do have a ton of old CC statements from when I used to save that stuff. Every once in a while, I pull them out of storage and bring in a few of them each day to shred. After a week or so they’re all gone. Another thing to keep in mind. To keep the job smaller, you can just get rid of the sensitive parts. For example, if you have 8 year old credit card statements, don’t kill yourself trying to get rid of the statement part of it. No one cares about or can do anything with that part. Just tear off the top section with your name/address/account numbers and deal with that section. That’s really the only part that needs to be destroyed. It means a lot of time ripping or cutting papers up, but it’ll significantly reduce how much paper has to be destroyed. ETA and while we’re at it. The more sensitive things you can switch to ‘online statement’ or ‘online only’ the less you’ll have to do this going forward. I like seeing my mortgage statement in paper, but that’s it. I haven’t had a utility bill or credit card statement sent to my house in years. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/48 "2013-10-14T18:18:26Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I was hoping some might already have tried it, and be able to offer ideas on how much bleach to use, or if some other chemical might be better. 79 cents per pound is way too expensive; with 6 filing-size boxes, I probably have about 100-200 pounds. I guess I’ll have to experiment. Only problem with soaking in solution is…when it doesn’t work, you have a much greater problem, since wet documents can’t be shredded, burned or easily dried. Not recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/49 "2013-10-14T18:38:21Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > That’s brilliant! > > Is there any connection to a nationwide organization that might be doing this in a lot of chapters? If you can steer me in a direction? I would like to pursue it. Like the OP, I have a lot of paper that needs shredding. $.14/lb is fine with me. No, they don’t seem to be affiliated with any national group that I’m aware of. You might try contacting your local Goodwill or equivalent. Maybe they know of someone. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/50 "2013-10-14T18:41:50Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I was hoping some might already have tried it, and be able to offer ideas on how much bleach to use, or if some other chemical might be better. 79 cents per pound is way too expensive; with 6 filing-size boxes, I probably have about 100-200 pounds. I guess I’ll have to experiment. Well, in that case, you don’t want to go the bleach route. Because 200 pounds of dry paper would become probably 400-500 pounds of wet, bleachy pulp. Try scraping that out of your bathtub… ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/51 "2013-10-14T19:16:06Z")
I say just bite the bullet and buy a mid range shredder (small office type, probably around $200). I was in the same situation as you, and had a cheap one earlier. I got a better one and got rid of my boxes in a few weeks of just spending a few minutes a few times a day “feeding” it. Now it is just a routine that when I get the mail if there is something I don’t need to keep that I think may be sensitive I just pop it in, envelope and all. I’ve also disposed of old credit cards. Not sure what type of cut it is but you are left with tiny little “arrows” of paper. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/52 "2013-10-14T20:03:25Z")
> [@cletus](#): > > What’s wrong with the idea in the OP? Put it in the bathtub with water and bleach, let it soak overnight, and dumb in the trash the next day. If you can’t burn because you live in a city, you are worried about leaving it with Staples or Home Depot, etc etc then go with with your original plan. Seems like the easiest way to me. This is what I do with mine. Only not the bathtub, I do it often enough so that I don’t have boxes of it sitting around. I add one step. After it soaks, I make sure I pull the pulp apart and mash it, then I put it in a couple of grocery bags, poke some holes in it, and drain and squeeze it out well, then freeze it overnight, then throw it away. The bleaching/soaking/mashing cycle followed by the freezing process renders all mail unreadable and un-salvageable. Much faster, quieter, and cheaper than shredding. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/53 "2013-10-14T22:20:54Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > . . . Here’s an idea: Buy a bag of cement and a barrel. Mix the cement in the barrel, adding paper as you mix. Let dry. Throw away barrel! I like! Buy a mold or form, and use it to make concrete bricks or blocks. Pour the concrete around layers of paper. It’s weaken the blocks a little, but they would still be usable to build a decorative wall in the back yard! ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/54 "2013-10-15T01:40:37Z")
As several posters predicted, the mushy mess in my sink is NOT significantly easier or faster than shredding by hand. So I’m gonna usa a commercial service. > [@me](#): > > I googled “paper shredding service”, and found a LOT of services that seem pretty conveniently located, and NONE of the eight that I looked at gave any information about their prices. I absolutely hate those sort of ads. Not only do they leave out the prices, but most don’t even say where they’re located, so I’m left with absolutely no way of evaluating which one might be better for me. Why do they think this sort of advertising might be successful? Shouldn’t there be SOME kind of hook which would attract me to call them? Anyway, I broke down and called three random advertisers who claimed to do the “Northern NJ” area (which could be anywhere from next door to an hour and a half away). One only sends trucks out to the customer, so I know that will be too expensive. Another had a $200 minimum. But the third is a 35-minute drive away, and will allow me to bring 95 gallons of paper to be shredded at their site for $55 plus tax. I calculate 95 gallons to be about a dozen of the boxes I’m using, and I’ve barely filled 5 so far. So in a few weeks, that’s where I’m going. Thank you all, for all your ideas. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/55 "2013-10-15T14:15:52Z")
Assuming weekly pickup, here’s a thought. Save all your kitchen scraps for a week. The night before trash pickup, throw sensitive docs in trash Clean out the old, moldy stuff from the fridge and throw in the trash on top of docs. Mix well. Garnish with kitchen scraps. Assumed scofflaw moves on to next can. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/57 "2015-03-15T17:32:52Z")
I know this thread is a bit of a zombie, but I happened to come across it when searching for cheap shredding options. I don’t know about nationwide, but in Southern California, Goodwill offers cheap shredding. The cost in, for example, San Diego is $6/box, seemingly regardless of weight, for a box 10" H x 12" W x 15" D. You could put what, 20 lbs of paper in a box that size? So .30/lb. They tout how secure the process is, you’ll have to decide for yourself what you think. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/58 "2015-03-16T01:18:57Z")
**TSBG** : I’m in San Diego…and didn’t know that! Thank you! That’s much cheaper than the rate Office Depot charges! They ask $1.00 a pound. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/59 "2015-03-16T03:29:37Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > What are the odds that if you put them in a giant trash sack and throw them in the regular garbage a would be criminal is going to find them and use them? > If you were throwing out papers on a regular basis, I’d get the concern. But a one time deal? Nah. In my neighborhood, trashpickers go through everything. I once came out on trash morning to find that someone had gone through our trash and broken open a trash bag that contained a discarded, quite full, disposable cat litter box, spreading the contents on the street. Presumably they were looking for recyclables, and got an unpleasant surprise. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/60 "2015-03-16T03:38:46Z")
Check with your local City Hall or township, many offer this service for free. They usually have an arranged time, like a Saturday morning and you drop the boxes of stuff off and they destroy it there for you. ---
**Author:** ![Nikface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nikface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikface)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143/61 "2015-03-24T21:30:57Z")
Here’s a really gross way to stop someone from going through important records that you need to dispose of. Put them in a plastic garbage bag. Collect your dog’s poop and toss it into the bag. Seal the bag and smush the contents around till they’re well mixed. I’d think twice about handling those papers, wouldn’t you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-easy-alternative-to-shredding-important-papers/671143.md?page=4)