Why Offsite Shredding?

In addition to our reasons given here on our Recycling link, ADS has this to day about onsite vs. offsite shredding . . .

On-Site or Off-Site Shredding?

American Document Securities is proud to offer all of our customers Off-Site destruction. But we also want all of our customers to be well informed about this service. Here are a few statements that our customers frequently make, and we wanted to share them so that you may have a complete understanding of the pros and cons of shredding.

• I don’t want my documents to leave my premises for security reasons.
   
• I want on-site shredding services because I want to watch the shredding being done.
   
• I think it is safer to have the shredding done at my office, because I don’t know or trust where it goes if it leaves my premises.

Do you or an employee of your company watch the shredding process if you have elected on-site shredding? If you do not, why is it more secure at your facility than ours? If you do, do you really know what you are watching? Georgia law SB475 does not require on-site shredding.

The Enron scandal created a myth that all shredded paper can be pieced back together. Enron’s attorneys were able to piece the paper together because the shredding was done in isolated shredders into an isolated container. Only Enron’s documents were shredded, therefore it simply became a large puzzle to piece back together. This is impossible with American Document Securities’ “closed loop” off-site shredding. Why? Off-site shredding ensures that all of your confidential documents are mixed with thousands of pounds of other customers’ documents. With our off-site service, your documents are picked up, placed into a locked container, locked up into a secure truck, transported to a secure facility; shredded immediately and finally baled to ensure ultimate security. The bales are held in our secure warehouse until they are sent directly to the paper mill. Most vendors that only offer on-site shredding, do not bale the shredded paper. They have to dump it at a recycling facility where there are no background or drug testing required for their employees. What if something small such as a check passed through the shredding teeth of the on-site vendor? It happens all the time with any shredder. At our facility, we have the ability to retrieve the document and shred it immediately to ensure confidentiality; on-site trucks can only dump the full load which compromises the security of your documents.

Off-site shredding services are also more cost effective than on-site services. If you do witness your on-site shredding, have you done the cost analysis for the wages and benefits you are adding to the shredding services? Once again, ADS wants you to understand that we want you to get the best value for your dollar, because, a happy, informed customer is our best asset!