Well, in our economy, it's particle size to be specific. To quote a line from the 1889 read of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain; he writes, "She was wise, subtle and knew more than one way to skin a cat." That is, more than one way to get the job done!
I will admit that there is indeed more than one way to destroy a document. Yes, you can bury it in a plastic bag in your backyard, let Mother Nature do her thing and hope it's never unearthed to become fodder for the next identity thief.
