What Are Paper Shredders Used for

The History Lane Of The Paper Shredder

The paper shredder – this is probably one of the most beautiful and useful machines that man had invented. Paper shredders are very important nowadays. It is used to destroy confidential documents such as bank transactions, medical records, and others of their likes. But have you ever wondered how the paper shredder came to be?

Before the Paper Shredder

Before the paper shredder, there has already been that need to destroy paper. A paper has to be destroyed especially if one considers the writings on that paper to be very dangerous. For example, during the Second World War era, the Nazis burned all papers, books, and documents pertaining to themes which they regarded as unhealthy.

Sometimes, papers are burned simply because their contents are vital to one or a number of people’s safety. So many times and in numerous accounts have soldiers burned important documents that have something to do with their intelligence operations. They do not want the info written on those papers to be passed on into the hands of their enemies.

But there have been instances when important papers have been destroyed out of pure barbarism. A good example would be that of the Library of Alexandria – a library that contained more than 500,000 important documents which was believed to have been burned by Muslim conquerors of Egypt.

The Birth and Evolution of the Paper Shredder

The very first paper shredder can be attributed to Abbot Augustus Low. His invention, which he referred to as the waste paper receptacle has been patented in February of 1909. But he died without his invention being reproduced. Then, in Germany in 1935, Adolf Ehinger was able to create a paper shredding machine which is based on the mechanism of a pasta maker. Soon, he was able to market is invention to numerous companies. Government agencies start to make use of strip-cut paper shredders as they deemed the destruction of important files essential. The rise of topics such as anti-burning advocacies, identity thefts, and garbage disposal issues eventually made it necessary for private citizens to have their own paper-shredding machines.

Four Reasons Why We Need Paper Shredding

Paper shredding or document destruction is critical for safe keeping confidential and sensitive information. Most of us create and keep files with sensitive content; examples of which are bills, financial statements, marketing plans, employee files, and even delivery packages. Government offices, non-commercial organizations, large corporations, small businesses, and private citizens alike make use of machines called shredders that cut paper into strips or fine pieces, which are then collected and recycled.

COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW

We all have the right to protection of personal information. As a matter of fact, there are laws that penalize improper disposal of documents with sensitive and confidential content. Organizations that hold personal data but neglect to protect it face financial and legal consequences. Employers for example use paper shredding services to get rid of employee files which are no longer in use.

PROTECTING MOTHER NATURE

Numerous trees are cut down in order to make paper. To protect forests, people advocate a “paperless society”, and only use paper as a last resort. The practice of sustainable farming answers the need for raw materials in papermaking. Reusing and recycling strips and bits from paper shredding machines is also another method of preserving forests.

PREVENTING IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft cases are prevalent, and increasingly becoming a huge threat with the advent of the Internet. A delivery box with a name and an address that’s not properly disposed of can already be a potential threat. It’s considered ‘best practice’ for organizations and individuals to use a paper shredder and similar devices to avoid identity theft and fraud.

ELIMINATING CLUTTER AND FIRE HAZARDS

Piles of papers cause clutter and increase the risks of fire. Offices need to constantly get rid of these papers as part of an organization-wide records management system. Many offices purchase office shredders and designate an employee to take care of the proper disposal and destruction of paper documents. However, tapping 3rd party shredding services is the more cost-effective approach because it doesn’t require capital investment, maintenance cost, and service calls.

So there you have it, four main reasons why we need to practice proper disposal and destruction of paper documents. Having a shredding machine or document destruction service is truly important. Shredding paper helps to keep us in compliance with the law, to protect forests, to prevent identity theft, and to rid clutter and fire hazards.

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