What Happens To My Documents After They Are Shredded?

According to previous blogs, we know that using a professional document destruction service is
important for many reasons. But what happens to the shredded documents after they are destroyed?

The majority of shredded documents consist of what is know as white stock which is the most valuable type of recyclable paper material. White paper is an especially valuable commodity because it can most easily be recycled into new paper.



Professional shredding services bundle shredded documents into bales that are then sold to companies that use recycled paper as raw materials to make other products. A cubic yard of loose shredded paper weighs between 250 and 500 pounds where bales of shredded paper range in weight from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. 

These bales that are sorted, graded and taken to a paper mill. Water is added to turn it into a soupy pulp called slurry, and non-recyclable items like staples, ribbons and so on are removed.  The pulp is screened, cleaned and de-inked, and can then be sent to buyers who use it to make things like new paper, along with more than 5,000 other products can be made from recycled paper, including:

• Masking tape
• Paper money
• Globes
• Bandages
• Dust masks
• Hospital gowns
• Coffee filters
• Lamp shades
• Car insulation
• Animal bedding
• Planting pots for seedlings
• Egg cartons

All shredded documents have a life after they are shredded if they are either shredded by a professional document destruction company or recycled after being shredded in a personal shredder. For more information on document destruction visit www.wasteawaygroup.com.

utilities.fm.virginia.edu 
recycleforyourcommunity.com
wikipedia.org
wastecare.com 
epa.gov