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Environmental Benefits of Paper Shredding

By Cliff Haggan March 15, 2019 0 comments

Environmental Benefits of Paper ShreddingWhile we are working toward becoming a paper-free society with the advent of new technologies, we are far from there, and our paper usage has a considerable impact on our environment. What you may not realize is that you can reduce the effect your paper usage has on our environment by adopting one small habit, paper shredding and recycling.

The Impact of Paper on the Environment

Using one sheet of paper doesn't seem like much, but studies show that that one piece of paper is adding up to 700 pounds of paper used per person every year in America. Additionally, most office workers are printing on average 10,000 pages annually, totaling 12 trillion pages every single year. Paper mills and paper production facilities come in third on the scale of largest polluters of the environment. They use more than 4 billion trees every year which equates to 35 percent of all the timber harvest worldwide. Additionally, the use of these trees destroys the environments natural ability to capture more than 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

How Offices Can Help

Offices can make a substantial impact on paper production by simply using recycled paper. Reports show that 70 percent of paper production happens before the wood turns into pulp for paper. Using recycled paper brings the impact of paper production down to 30 percent of the typical impact made by using non-recycled paper. Additionally, recycling paper after using it in your office has a positive impact on the environment. For every ton of paper, you recycle you save 7,000 gallons of water, 17 trees, and 4,100 kilowatts of electricity, along with avoiding 60 pounds of pollutants being pumped into the air.

How Paper Shredding Helps the Environment

Business owners are highly aware of the benefits of paper shredding from a security standpoint. Paper shredding saves companies time and money by keeping confidential documents out of the wrong hands. Items such as bank statements and credit card applications should always be sent through a shredder to ensure that the information contained there is rendered entirely unreadable. However, have you ever considered that paper shredding is also good for the environment? Whether you decide to shred your papers internally or send them out to be shredded, this is an effortless way for you to reduce the environmental footprint of your company. Every ton of paper your company chooses to shred and recycle instead of throwing away is equal to 167 showers of hot water and enough oxygen for 34 people to breath for a whole year. Don't be part of the problem, become part of the solution by making the easy choice to start shredding and recycling the paper from your business.

PBS Office and Paper Shredding

IPBS Office and Paper Shreddingf you are committed to making a change in how your office runs and would like to start shredding and recycling your paper documents Progressive Business Systems, Inc. (PBS) has the answer. Here at PBS, we have been representing the Destroyit line of paper shredders since 1988. We have stuck with them because we believe in their reliability as a product. The Destroyit line is a commercial grade paper shredder that can handle all of your paper shredding needs. One of the perks of this brand is that you don't even need to remove paper clips or staples. You can leave them on your documents, and your Destroyit paper shredder will shred them along with your papers. Additionally, if you ever have problems with your paper shredder, our friendly service staff handles any service calls you may need. We offer many different models of the Destroyit paper shredder with both strip-cut and cross-cut options. Give our customer sales consultants a call today at 800-359-0364 to discuss which model will best fit the needs of your business and make this the last paper shredder you ever have to buy.

Strip-Cut vs. Cross-Cut Paper Shredding

You may be wondering about the difference between a strip-cut or cross-cut paper shredder. Our customer service staff can go over these distinctions in detail, but let us give you a quick rundown of the differences and benefits of each. Strip-cut paper shredders as their name suggest cut your papers into many thin strips. Cross-cut shredders cut your paper into many tiny pieces as they cut both horizontally and vertically. Here are a few things to consider when trying to decide between the two:
  • Speed: Strip-cut shredders are much faster then cross-cut shredders as they are only cutting strips.
  • Bag Changes: A cross-cut shredder will fill your shredder bag much more slowly than a strip-cut shredder as a cross-cut creates much smaller pieces of paper.
  • Maintenance: Paper shredders don't require much maintenance, just a little oil here and there, however, cross-cut shredders will need more oiling than strip-cut shredders.
  • Security: Cross-cut shredders are the more secure of the two types as the pieces of paper they create are next to impossible to reassemble.

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