Shredded Paper Recycling
Many organisations hold confidential paper documents about their employees, customers, and clients. Safe and responsible handling of any sensitive data is vital. This includes its disposal, as it’s an important point where the risk of such documents and data falling into the wrong hands is critical. Shredded paper recycling offers a secure and environmentally friendly solution.
Businesses must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when collecting, storing, using, and disposing of any confidential data. This must be done safely, fairly, and responsibly. Data shredding is an efficient way to destroy confidential documents to protect your organisation and those whose information it contains.
At Business Waste we offer confidential shredding services in the UK to organisations of any type and size. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today for a free quote for secure shredding near you.
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Get a free quote for commercial shredding
Get a fast FREE quote for commercial shredding services
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of confidential waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Recycling shredded
paper
Recycling shredded paper is a green and cost-effective way to get rid of confidential documents safely. However, shredded paper recycling isn’t as easy as recycling regular paper (full sheets, paper envelopes, leaflets etc.). If your business has an on-site shredder to destroy confidential documents, you must recycle shredded paper separately.
This is because shredding paper weakens and shortens the fibres, which makes turning it into good-quality pulp to create recycled paper products harder. As the shredded paper is smaller than complete sheets it may also fall through the screens recycling centres use and get trapped in the machinery. It can stop recycling machinery from working and cause a fire hazard.
Split up shredded paper from other paper types and you can recycle shredded paper separately. Any business or organisation must use licensed waste carriers to remove the shredded paper from your site to transport it to a nearby recycling centre. The easiest way to do this is by using a reliable and professional waste collection service.
Businesses with their own shredders can arrange collection of shredded paper, while others can book collection of confidential documents for shredding. You can then decide if you want the shredding to happen on or off-site. Either way, the confidential papers will be shredded and then recycled safely, legally, and responsibly.
How is shredded
paper recycled?
Shredded paper is recycled in a similar way to regular paper recycling. First, all the fibres must be separated to ensure it’s all of a similar grade and quality so it can be turned into new paper products. Then the general process for recycling shredded paper is:
- Paper is shredded on-site or collected and taken off-site for shredding.
- The shredded paper is compressed into bales, which are transported by licensed waste carriers to a recycling centre that has machinery suitable for processing shredded paper.
- These bales of paper shredding are mixed with water. This turns them into a pulp.
- Any debris is removed from the pulp as it’s forced through a screen that filters out the likes of glue and plastic. It may be spun to remove any remaining debris and then placed in a chemical solution to remove any ink.
- It’s then dried out on wire screens and passed through heated rollers.
- When recycled into toilet paper and tissues, these new sheets of paper are run under an embosser, which makes them more absorbent.
- The pulp is finally turned into recycled low-graded paper products such as toilet paper and soft tissues.
Paper shredding
bins
Store your shredded paper or confidential documents that need shredding separately from other paper recycling with individual bins, bags, and containers. At Business Waste we provide free bins for your commercial paper shredding – you just pay for collection. There are no rental charges or hidden fees.
Bins for shredded paper range in size to securely store various amounts of waste. Small bins suit businesses with little confidential waste, while bigger bins can reduce the frequency of collections for cost-effective bulk shredding. Secure lids and lockable options keep your confidential waste safe before its removal and recycling.
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Confidential waste bags
Explore waste bags designed to store confidential waste before and after shredding.
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240 litre bins
The standard two-wheel bin like you have at home suits all sorts of shredded paper waste.
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Balers
Large businesses with space can compact paper shredding on-site with a baler.
Commercial shredding
services
Commercial shredding covers more than just paper items in the modern world. Lots of sensitive information is stored digitally, while your business may produce other items you need to destroy to stop potential reuse from harming your reputation. We provide commercial shredding for other materials. Find shred services near you for the following with Business Waste:
- Data shredding – the destruction of all the confidential data stored on hard drives, normally through mechanical shredding.
- Branded and promotional items – shredding of any branded items so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.
- Cards and badges – such as ID badges and credit cards.
Commercial shredding
collection
Arrange confidential paper shredding for your business today. Book collection of your sensitive items, whether you need to get rid of a few documents or require bulk shredding for lots of records. We can provide a solution for confidential waste that needs shredding or paper you’ve already shredded.
There are options for both on-site and off-site secure paper shredding near you, as well as collections of your already shredded waste. Whatever commercial shredding services you need we can deliver free bins, bags, and containers to store your paper pre- and post-shred – you just cover the collection costs.
Our licensed waste carriers will remove your shredded paper at an agreed time and transport it to a recycling centre to be recycled. You’ll receive a free duty of care certificate and certificate of destruction for peace of mind that it’s dealt with properly.
One-off removals, bulk shredding, and regular daily, weekly, or fortnightly collections of paper shredding for recycling are available. Get a free quote for secure paper shredding near you tailored to your exact needs today – call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online.
Paper shredding
FAQs
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Can you recycle shredded paper in the UK?
You can recycle shredded paper in the UK but not all recycling centres accept it. This is because some paper mills can’t process shredded paper due to its shorter fibres and smaller size. Check if your local council allows shredded paper in your household recycling bin or whether your local household waste recycling centre accepts shredded paper for recycling.
Otherwise, you can arrange collection of shredded paper by professional waste collection services, such as Business Waste. They’ll transport all your shredded paper to a nearby recycling centre for recycling.
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What can I do with shredded paper at home?
Check if you can put shredded paper in your household recycling bin, as some local councils and authorities can recycle it. If not, there are a few other things you can do with shredded paper at home to avoid putting it in your general waste bin and it ending up in a landfill:
- Take your shredded paper to a paper bank that will recycle it
- Add it to a compost pile in the garden (but not any glossy or coloured paper)
- Use it as animal bedding for small pets, such as hamsters and guinea pigs
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How can I reduce shredded paper waste?
Minimise the amount of shredded paper your business creates by only shredding paper documents containing sensitive information. Send leaflets, envelopes, and other paper for recycling. Even with confidential documents, if the only sensitive data is an address or name, see if you can remove it without having to shred the entire paper.
The other main way to reduce how much shredded paper your organisation creates is to make as much confidential data as possible digital. This eliminates the need for as much paper and avoids physical documents getting lost or falling into the wrong hands.
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Who needs confidential paper shredding?
All organisations hold some level of sensitive information about employees, customers, patients, and other businesses. Many of these are paper documents that need to be destroyed at some point. Some common organisations that need confidential paper shredding include:
- Offices – an office shredding service is common for all industries, including marketing, legal, and other firms.
- Hospitals – healthcare and medical records contain incredibly sensitive information that needs to be destroyed safely.
- Banks – financial documents from customers may need shredding eventually.
- Schools – documents containing information about pupils, teachers, and other staff must be disposed of carefully.
- Shops – paper documents including customer details, financial records, and other information may need destroying at some point.
Get a fast quote for confidential shredding
Get a fast FREE quote for secure paper shredding
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of confidential waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK