Paper shredding might seem like a mundane or unimportant task, but there are many interesting facts about shredding that you should know. Keep reading to learn five fun facts about paper shredding to understand more about its importance and how this practice evolved into its own industry.
Paper Shredding Machine Origins
Did you know the first paper shredding machine design is over 100 years old? In 1909, a man named Abbot Augustus Lowe invented the first paper shredder as a waste paper receptacle. He patented his idea but died before he could ever create a working prototype, so it would be years before this invention rose to popularity.
Paper Shredding Popularity
Paper shredders weren’t a household device until the late 1980s. Shredding machines exploded in popularity with both individuals and companies in 1988, when the Supreme Court ruled that garbage left outside the home for collection could be subject to warrantless searches and seizures. This meant that garbage left at the curb was public property, and anyone could look through it. After this event, shredders became increasingly popular in homes and businesses.
Everyone Needs a Paper Shredder
If you’re a homeowner or a small business owner, don’t think that you don’t also need to shred your personal documents. Large businesses aren’t the only ones that identity thieves target. The personal information you store at home can be just as valuable to thieves, so always make sure to destroy your personal documents with a shredder before throwing them away. This action is important for small business owners and employees as well.
Shredder Particle Sizes
Paper shredders can create a wide range of paper particle sizes. Shredders with the highest security levels can produce paper particles as small as 5 square millimeters. These particles only show as many as four characters. Because these scraps are so small, it is practically impossible for thieves to recover your documents and the original information they held.
Shredding Isn’t Just for Paper
While paper shredders are the most common type of shredding system, there are other machines designed to destroy non-paper materials too. For example, many businesses that use paper shredders also use industrial shredders that can destroy IDs and cards, CDs, discs, hard drives, and other common office materials. These devices and accessories contain just as much sensitive information as paper, so we must also treat their disposal with caution.
Now that you know these five fun facts about paper shredding, you can understand why document shredding is so important in the modern age. If you’re looking for a paper shredder that can keep up with your business’s heavy document flow, consider upgrading to an industrial paper shredder machine from Capital Shredder. We can help match you with the perfect machine for your business.
