How frequently do you dispose of important papers the right way? If you?re the type of person who throws bills, credit card statements, and other important documents into the trash, you may want to consider changing your methods. Whether it?s your home or your office, you can?t be too safe when it comes to protecting your identity and your assets. Without properly disposing of your important documents, they can easily be used for identity theft if the documents fall into the wrong hands. That?s why it?s essential to make sure you have onsite document shredding services to help you stay protected.
Interested in learning more about the importance of paper shredding services and why it?s one of the best ways to stay protected? Keep reading for more information about how onside document shredding can spare you.
4 Instances When Secure Shredding Services May Benefit You
You may not know which items to shred and which items are okay to throw away without shredding. There are plenty of reasons why shredding any document before throwing it away is beneficial to you, your family, your company, and even the environment. Read about these four instances in which you definitely want to use onsite document shredding to stay protected.
1. If you own or work at a business
If you own a business, it?s important that you buy paper shredding services to keep onsite at all times. All employees should understand why it is necessary to shred any documents instead of simply throwing them away in the trash. Whenever you hire new employees, make sure to communicate this with them, as well. The less proactive you are about shredding documents, the more likely your business is to be negatively affected by these actions. American businesses lost $24 billion a year to information theft in the United States, according to the FBI. You could spare your company the same issue by making sure there are onsite document shredding services available for all to use.
2. If sensitive mail is sent to your home
Some people receive a lot of their mail to their work space. In those instances, people can use their company?s shredding services to get rid of any sensitive documents. However, if you receive most of your important mail to your home, it?s best that you also purchase onsite document shredding services to keep at home. That way, whenever you are prepared to get rid of sensitive, confidential, or secure documents, you can do so in a safe manner. It may feel tedious and like an extra chore, but at the end of the day it could save you and your family from experiencing identity theft or information theft.
3. If you work for a doctor or health insurance
In the United States, all doctors and health insurance providers must shred most of their important documents. It is legally binding that they have the proper services onsite to get rid of any documents when necessary. In many cases, state and federal laws go a step further for doctors and health insurance providers. Not only must they have shredding services, but also they must have a data destruction plan to get rid of sensitive and private documents and information.
4. If you want to protect the environment
At the end of the day, it can be beneficial to the environment to shred your documents rather than throwing them away as is. Statistics show that shredded paper is less likely to start a fire. It can also benefit the environment by cutting down on water pollution by 35% and air pollution by 74% when you choose to recycle. With more than 80 million tons of paper produced and consumed in the United States every single year, it?s important to put forth some effort to recycle this paper. That way, we don?t contribute to less sustainable practices that harm the environment.
Do you already shred your secure and sensitive documents before throwing them away? Do you have onsite document shredding services at your business or your home? Let us know in the comments about your experience preventing identity theft.
