Does Shredded Paper Get Recycled?

When it comes to getting rid of paper, you try to do what’s right for the environment, and that means recycling.

Americans use 170 billion pounds of paper a year, which works out to about 680 pounds per person. Each 2,000 pounds of recycled paper can save:

  • 17 trees
  • 380 gallons of oil
  • 3 cubic yards of landfill space
  • 4,000 kilowatts of energy
  • 7,000 gallons of water

That means that the average person in the United States can save 5.8 trees, 129 gallons of oil, and 2,380 gallons of water every year all by themselves just by recycling all the paper they use.

But what about papers that contain personal information? If you are an individual, throwing them into the recycle bin intact can leave you vulnerable to identity theft. If you are a company, you can be liable for any crime or privacy violation that results from recycling unshredded documents that contain personal information.

Fortunately, shredded paper can be recycled, but only if it’s done correctly.

If you use at at-home shredder to shred important documents, you can’t put the shredded paper into the regular recycle bin. Once you shred paper, it changes from high grade to mixed grade. Mixed grade paper, while still recyclable, is not accepted by most residential recycling programs because shredding paper shortens the fiber and creates small pieces that pass through paper-making screens and become waste at the paper plant. It’s also difficult to separate from other recyclables, including glass and plastic.

When you use a professional shredding company like Proshred Connecticut, the paper you shred will be recycled. Proshred Connecticut recycles all the shredded paper it destroys. After shredding, it transports destroyed documents to a certified recycling facility to be pulped. To document its customers’ contribution to the environment, Proshred Connecticut provides each customer with a Tree Saver Environment Certificate every year, which indicates how many trees they has saved by shredding with Proshred Connecticut.

 

 

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