Once you’ve caught up on your office’s shredding pile, you might be wondering what you can do with all the newly shredded paper. Throwing these tiny paper scraps in the garbage can be wasteful and messy, so keep reading to discover better ways to dispose of shredded paper at your office. Whether you’re looking for more practical or sustainable disposal methods, these tips can provide several solutions.
Try Recycling Shredded Paper
One would think shredded paper is ideal for baling and pulping processes because it’s already pre-shredded for a recycling center. However, not all waste management companies and resources accept shredded paper. Typical curbside pickup systems won’t accept shredded paper due to its messy nature and difficulty to contain. Always check with your local recycling guidelines before packaging shredded paper and putting it out at the curb. You might be able to find some local collection services that accept shredded paper contained in boxes or bags.
Add Paper to Compost
If your area doesn’t support shredded paper recycling, worry not—there are other ways you can sustainably dispose of these paper scraps. If your building participates in composting, shredded paper makes a perfect addition to any compost pile. In fact, paper is a key layer of any compost pile. Shredded paper is a part of the “browns” category of compost materials you can collect around the office. Sprinkle layers of your office’s shredded paper between “green” layers of food scraps, coffee grounds, landscaping waste, and more.
Reusing Shredded Paper in the Office
Rather than disposing of your office’s paper shreds, consider reusing them. Reusing shredded paper is more sustainable than tossing it directly in the garbage, especially if you can’t recycle or compost it. Paper scraps from your office shredder make excellent packing materials for shipping or storage around your office. You won’t need to worry about your information safety while reusing paper shredding scraps either. If you use a high-security, heavy-duty office shredder to destroy your documents first, all traces of your confidential data will be gone from the paper.
Shredded paper isn’t the easiest material to work with, but with these disposal ideas for shredded paper, you can find new ways to reuse and recycle it around your office. However, you can only use these methods once your confidential documents are thoroughly shredded to protect your information. Browse high-security shredders for offices of any size here at Capital Shredder.
