Document shredding is the process of using specialised shredding equipment to cut paper documents into small pieces.

The service is commonly used for paperwork that contains information you don’t want to leave sitting in a general waste or recycling bin.

This can include:

• Customer information
• Employee records
• Bank statements
• Invoices and financial records
• Tax documents
• Medical paperwork
• Contracts
• Legal documents
• Property records
• Printed emails
• Business correspondence
• Personal documents

The main purpose of document shredding is straightforward: to securely dispose of confidential paperwork once you no longer need to keep it.

For businesses, professional shredding can also make the process of disposing of large quantities of old records much easier.

Businesses deal with confidential information every day.

A typical office might have paperwork containing customer names and addresses, employee details, financial information, business contracts or other sensitive information.

Eventually, some of those records reach the end of their required retention period.

Rather than allowing old paperwork to build up in storage rooms, filing cabinets and archive boxes, businesses can arrange secure document destruction when the records are no longer required.

• Professional document shredding can help businesses:
• Dispose of confidential paperwork securely
• Reduce the amount of old paperwork stored in the office
• Save staff time
• Manage large document clean-outs
• Establish a regular document disposal process
• Keep a record of destruction where a Certificate of Destruction is provided

It can be particularly useful during office relocations, business closures, archive clean-outs and records-management projects.

• There isn’t one universal list of documents that every person or business must shred.

The right approach is to consider what information a document contains and whether you still have a reason to retain it.

Documents containing personal, financial, confidential or commercially sensitive information are common candidates for secure destruction once they are no longer required.

Examples include:

Financial documents

• Bank statements
• Invoices
• Receipts
• Payment records
• Financial reports
• Old accounting paperwor

Employee documents

• Personnel records
• Payroll information
• Employment paperwork
• Applications and CVs
• Employee correspondence

Customer documents

• Customer applications
• Contact details
• Account information
• Service records
• Customer correspondence

Business documents

• Contracts
• Internal reports
• Confidential correspondence
• Business plans
• Supplier information
• Printed emails

Personal documents
Individuals may also have paperwork that should be securely destroyed, including:

• Old tax records
• Bank statements
• Insurance documents
• Medical paperwork
• Property documents
• Personal correspondence
• Old applications and forms

Before destroying anything, make sure you have checked whether the records need to be retained.

The right time to shred a document depends on why the document was created and whether there is a legal, tax, business or other reason to keep it.

Businesses should have a records-retention process so they know which documents need to be kept and when they can be disposed of.

Once a document has reached the end of its required retention period, secure document shredding can be a practical way to dispose of it.

It is important not to destroy records simply because they are old. If you’re unsure about a particular type of record, check the relevant retention requirements for your industry or obtain professional advice.

Privacy obligations in Australia depend on the organisation, the type of information involved and the laws that apply to that organisation.

The Australian Privacy Principles include requirements relating to the security and disposal of personal information.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains that organisations covered by the relevant privacy requirements should take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer needed for a permitted purpose, subject to applicable exceptions.

Secure destruction is therefore an important consideration when disposing of personal information held in paper records.

However, privacy requirements don’t mean that every piece of paper should immediately be destroyed. Businesses should first determine whether records need to be retained.

Privacy obligations in Australia depend on the organisation, the type of information involved and the laws that apply to that organisation.

The Australian Privacy Principles include requirements relating to the security and disposal of personal information.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains that organisations covered by the relevant privacy requirements should take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer needed for a permitted purpose, subject to applicable exceptions.

Secure destruction is therefore an important consideration when disposing of personal information held in paper records.

However, privacy requirements don’t mean that every piece of paper should immediately be destroyed. Businesses should first determine whether records need to be retained.

Privacy obligations in Australia depend on the organisation, the type of information involved and the laws that apply to that organisation.

The Australian Privacy Principles include requirements relating to the security and disposal of personal information.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains that organisations covered by the relevant privacy requirements should take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer needed for a permitted purpose, subject to applicable exceptions.

Secure destruction is therefore an important consideration when disposing of personal information held in paper records.

However, privacy requirements don’t mean that every piece of paper should immediately be destroyed. Businesses should first determine whether records need to be retained.

Yes, shredded paper can be recycled, although the way it is accepted and processed can vary between recycling systems.

The important first step for confidential documents is secure destruction.

After documents have been shredded, the resulting paper can be directed to an appropriate recycling or waste-processing stream.

NationalShred’s document destruction process includes responsible recycling of shredded materials where appropriate

These terms are often used to describe the same service, although there is a small difference. 

Document Shredding specifically refers to the shredding of paper documents.

Document destruction is a broader term that can describe the secure destruction or different types of information or media. 

For example, a business may need paper documents shredded as well as hard drives or other electronic media destroyed. 

For paper records, documents shredding is one of the most common methods of secure destruction. 

How Does Professional Document Shredding Work?
The exact process depends on the service you choose, but professional document shredding generally follows a simple process.

1. Collect your documents
Place the paperwork you want destroyed into the appropriate secure bin, bag or other approved container.

2. Arrange collection or delivery
Depending on the service, your documents may be collected from your premises or you may be able to take them to a designated location.

3. Secure destruction
The documents are processed using commercial shredding equipment designed to handle larger quantities of paper than a typical office shredder.

4. Recycling
Once the documents have been shredded, the resulting material can be processed for recycling where appropriate.

5. Certificate of Destruction
Where included with the service, you receive documentation confirming that the documents have been destroyed.

This provides businesses with a useful record of their document destruction.

A Certificate of Destruction is a document confirming that specified material has been securely destroyed.

For businesses, this can be useful as part of their internal records-management process.

It provides a record that confidential documents were sent for destruction rather than simply being discarded as ordinary waste.

NationalShred provides Certificates of Destruction with applicable shredding services.

A secure shredding bin ais a container used to collect confidential paperwork before is destroyed. 

Instead of leaving unwanted documents in an open box beside an office printer, employees can place them directly into a secure bin. 

This creates a simple process:

Use the document → no longer required → place it in the secure bin → arrange collection → documents are securely shredded.

Secure bins can be particularly useful for offices that regularly generate confidential paperwork. 

That depends on how much confidential paperwork your business produces.

Some businesses may only need a one-off service because they have accumulated several years of old records.

Other businesses generate confidential paperwork every day and may benefit from a regular collection schedule.

For example, a business might choose:

• One-off shredding
• Weekly collection
• Fortnightly collection
• Monthly collection
• Another schedule based on its document volume

The important thing is to choose a schedule that prevents confidential paperwork from unnecessarily accumulating around the workplace.

One-off document shredding is designed for customers who have a particular quantity of paperwork that needs to be destroyed without setting up an ongoing collection service. 

it can be useful for:

• Office clean-outs
• Business relocations
• Business closures
• Archive clean-ups
• End-of-retention-period destruction 
• Storage clean-outs
• Moving House
• Personal document clean-outs
• Deceased estates 

If you’ve accumulated several boxes of old paperwork, a one-off shredding service can save considerable time compared with trying to shred everything yourself. 

Businesses often store old records in archive boxes.

Over the years, these boxes can take up considerable space in offices, storage rooms and warehouses.

When those records are no longer required, archive box destruction provides a way to deal with large quantities of paperwork without having staff manually empty and shred every file.

NationalShred provides archive box destruction services for businesses that need to securely dispose of stored records.

This can be particularly useful for accounting firms, legal practices, real estate businesses, medical organisations and other businesses that manage significant quantities of records.

It depends on the shredding equipment and the service being used.

Commercial shredding equipment is designed to handle materials that a small office shredder may struggle with.

NationalShred’s archive box destruction service is designed to process certain common filing materials without requiring customers to remove every staple or small paper clip first.

However, not every item belongs in a document shredding bin.

If you’re unsure about folders, binders, plastic sleeves, hard covers or other materials, check with the shredding provider before placing them into the bin.

Document shredding bins are intended primarily for paper documents that are suitable for the shredding equipment. 

Depending on the service, materials that may not be accepted can include:

• Carboard
• Plastic Sleeves
• Plastic binders
• Lever-arch folders
• Hard covers
• Certain photographs 
• Other non-paper materials

The rules can vary between services, so always check what your particular shredding bin is designed to accept.

For a small number of documents, an office shredder may be perfectly practical.

The situation changes when you’re dealing with boxes of paperwork.

Manually shredding hundreds or thousands of documents can take a significant amount of staff time. It can also create a large amount of shredded paper that needs to be emptied and managed.

Professional document shredding is particularly useful when:

• You have large quantities of documents
• You have archive boxes to destroy
• You need regular document collection
• You want a more structured destruction process
• You need a Certificate of Destruction
• You don’t want staff spending hours shredding paperwork