This information was compiled by the PII-Program team in conjunction with MIT's Procurement Office. If you are considering spending more than $200 on a shredder, compare the cost of the shredding services first.

Vendors

Use vendors who are National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) certified. At a minimum, you want to ensure the vendor is using enclosed trucks (so paper can’t fly out) and trucks are taken to a secure paper shredding facility (and not taken to local paper recycling center, where office paper may be bundled and resold as scrap paper – unshredded.)

Some companies offer onsite shredding. This is generally more expensive (the trucks are a major investment), and generally no more secure than offsite services that follow NAID standards. But they do offer the visceral satisfaction of seeing your material destroyed.

The PII program worked with MIT's Procurement Office to identify recommended services. These firms follow NAID standards, and accept MIT procurement card for payment:

For ongoing services these vendors provide a bin at no charge, and will charge when the bin is emptied. These companies will also shred accumulated boxes of materials. Note, however, that boxes of confidential material sitting around constitute a potential risk of data loss – it is generally safer to securely dispose of sensitive information as soon as it is no longer needed.

Although MIT's Facilities organization offers shredding services as part of their recycling program, they are not recommended for sensitive information, they do not provide certificates of destruction, and they are generally more expensive.

For more information or to share experiences (good or bad) about shredders or shredding services, please email the PII-Program team.

Shredder Bins

Having a locked container means materials can be disposed of immediately, vs. lying around until someone has time to do the shredding. A shredder bin is also quiet, with no shredder maintenance or mess of paper shreds, and you do not need to remove paper clips, or other binding. Bins typically come in 3 sizes:

• 36" Lockable Executive Console - Dimensions: 36"H x 19"D x 19"W; Capacity - 100 lbs; putty colored (for 'front office' environment)
• 64 Gallon Lockable Bin with wheels - Dimensions: 42.25"H x 29.25"D x 22.5"W; Capacity - 225 lbs;
• 95 Gallon Lockable Bin with wheels - Dimensions: 46"H x 34"D x 26.5"W'; Capacity - 350 lbs

Last updated October, 2009