Document Shredding & Sustainability

WAYS PAPER SHREDDING PROMOTES SUSTAINABILITY & HELPS PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Does shredding have a positive impact on the environment? The answer is yes.

As a proud business owner, you are probably aware of the business benefits of shredding your important documents instead of simply disposing of them.

Shredding your waste paper reduces you eco-footprint on the environment, protects you from identity theft as well as increasing the re-use of paper. According to a survey, the average American consumes about 700 pounds of paper annually.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency survey, paper products make up more than 27% of all municipal solid waste.

Any business that recycles their discarded paper products is preventing that recycled paper from going into a landfill, making new recycled products that would have otherwise been made of new raw materials.

Sustainable paper shredding means maintaining the balance with the environment, social and economic infrastructure for future generations. This means that your office implements new policies and procedures to minimize its environmental impact and reduce its carbon footprint.

Reduction of Destroying Forests 

A lot of forests are chopped down annually to supplement paper demand. Trees are important to our environment as they give off oxygen, support entire ecosystems and improve air quality. Humans are causing irreparable damage to the environment by polluting the air which damages our ozone layer by chopping down virgin forests.
Shredding paper offers a type of solution as the shredded paper will be recycled.

Compost Potential 

Shredded paper is the perfect by-product to compost. Opting to dispose of your shredded paper in an environmentally friendly way keeps it from the landfill. Your old documents will be composted into a rich organic mixture that’s great for soil and plants.

Economically Helping the Environment 

The cost to produce paper is quite expensive as it includes labor costs, fuel costs, transport costs, machine costs, chemical costs and more. By shredding and recycling documents, you are reducing the damage and costs of paper production.
To make sure that you get all the environmental and economic benefits, you should practice document shredding in both your home and workplace.  

Reduces Landfill 

This can be done as there is a reduction in the number of trees that are needed for paper as the more paper that is shredded and recycled, the fewer trees are cut down. Paper can be recycled between 5-7 times.

Reduces Water Consumption 

Did you know that you need 324 liters of water to manufacture just one kilogram of paper? The manufacture of paper requires the largest industrial use of water on a per pound of paper basis. Paper manufacturing consumes the third largest amount of fossil fuels worldwide.

Preparation

Read the manual properly. Prepare well for emptying your paper shredder as most programs ask you to put the shredded paper in a large container or plastic bag, make sure to check with your local authorities. If you have decided on partnering with a commercial shredding business along with your business then ask for a certificate of destruction once the recycling is done. 

Why Recycle Paper You Ask? 

The average American consumes around 7 trees annually but only 66% of that is recovered. No law prohibits anyone from rummaging through your garbage.

Shredded Paper Recycling Process

Shredded paper is grouped together as mixed paper, so the first stage of recycling is to separate it from cardboard, office paper and newspapers. Shredded paper is then baled and sent to the mill.

The mill has machines called a pulpers that inject water and certain chemicals which break the paper down into fibers. The ink and bonding is then removed after which the fibers are again rolled and dried, then sent off to make new products.

Mixed fiber does not have as much quality as virgin paper and its fibers are smaller than cardboard or office paper, this paper is recycled into lesser-quality paper products such as coffee filters, egg cartons, and paper towels.