How Recycling Shredded Paper Benefits Your Business and the Environment

The Benefits of Recycling Shredded Paper

Despite the uptick in digital communications, the typical office worker still uses thousands of sheets of paper each year. Multiply this across your entire staff, and it’s clear why paper waste requires thoughtful management. Tossing documents into a standard recycling bin isn’t enough, especially when security is at stake. Businesses need a method that protects their sensitive information and supports environmental responsibility. Secure shredding and recycling does both.

Why Your Business Should Recycle Shredded Paper

Recycling shredded paper is a small step that delivers tangible benefits far beyond decluttering your filing cabinet. Here are the top reasons businesses should recycle shredded paper:

Protect Your Data

Shredding is the number one way to protect customer, client, and internal data from falling into the wrong hands. When that paper is recycled after being shredded, you add a second layer of responsibility to mitigate risks associated with mishandled materials. Proper disposal through certified document destruction prevents data breaches and keeps your business compliant.

Show Environmental Leadership

More companies are flexing their sustainability muscles, and stakeholders want proof. Recycling your shredded paper with a secure partner yields a measurable environmental impact that you can highlight in your annual reports and sustainability statements. It also builds confidence among employees, customers, and investors that you’re walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

Boost Workplace Efficiency

Accumulated paperwork slows down the workflow. Recycling shredded paper with scheduled pick-ups keeps your office clear and organized, allowing your team to work more productively. It also reduces the burden on internal staff, who would otherwise have to manage disposal manually.

Enhance Brand Reputation

Companies that visibly commit to responsible business practices stand out from the crowd. Whether you’re bidding for contracts, attracting new clients, or engaging your community, secure shredding and recycling sends a clear message that you take both privacy and environmental issues seriously.

Contribute to a Circular Economy

When shredded paper is recycled responsibly, it reenters the manufacturing cycle and can be transformed into new products like tissues, cardboard, and packaging materials. This gives it a second life and reduces the need for virgin materials. As a result, your discarded documents don’t go to waste.

The Environmental Impact of Paper Recycling

Paper waste quietly contributes to environmental and economic problems. When paper ends up in landfills instead of recycling streams, it creates pollution in the form of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It also represents wasted resources. After all, the water, trees, energy, and oil used in its production are lost the moment paper is discarded improperly.

In many communities, landfill space is dwindling, and the cost of managing unnecessary waste continues to rise. Without a sustainable plan, these issues will only worsen.

That’s why responsible paper shredding and recycling are so important. At Document Shredding & Storage, we recycle roughly 2,289 tons of shredded paper annually. That’s about 457.8 million sheets transformed from office waste into recycled goods. These sheets are baled into 1,000-lb blocks and sent to our partner for recycling.

Our commitment to sustainability yields measurable environmental savings every year:

• We conserve over 16 million gallons of water by avoiding the water-heavy process of new paper production.
• We save 38,913 trees from being cut down by reducing the need for virgin materials to make new paper.
• We avoid the need to use 869,820 gallons of oil for new paper production.
• We conserve 9,384,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity that would otherwise be used in the manufacturing of new paper.
• We keep 8,011.5 cubic yards of landfill space clear by preventing recyclable paper from ending up in the trash.

How Do I Recycle Shredded Paper?

Most residential and commercial recycling programs don’t accept shredded paper. It’s too small to sort efficiently and often contaminates recycling streams. That’s why you need to work with a specialized shredding service like DSS. We ensure your paper is securely shredded and responsibly recycled to eliminate the guesswork. Here are your options for recycling shredded paper with us:

Pick-Up Shredding Services

Businesses with a high volume of paper or a need for convenience can rely on us for reliable pick-up shredding services. Professionals arrive on time and in uniform to collect your documents from dedicated shred collection containers. Shredding can either happen in our mobile shredding trucks or at our secure, monitored facility. This service is ideal for offices, medical practices, law firms, and organizations where time, privacy, and compliance are top priorities.

Drop-Off Shredding Services

If you have smaller quantities or want more control over the timing, drop-off shredding might be a better option. Simply bring your bagged or boxed documents to our secure facility, and we’ll handle the shredding and recycling process. Drop-off is a great fit for home offices, independent professionals, and anyone cleaning out old files. Both locations in Amarillo and Lubbock provide drop-off from 9 am – 3 pm, Monday through Friday.

One-Time Purge Services

When it’s time for a major cleanup, a one-time shredding project may be all you need. This is designed to handle a large volume efficiently without committing to ongoing services. We bring collection bins, pick up the paper, and handle shredding and recycling in one smooth process. Consider one-time shredding if you’re a small business or individual wanting to declutter paper storage before a move, following an audit, or during spring cleaning.

Scheduled Shredding Programs

For organizations that generate substantial paper waste, recurring services are the most efficient option. DSS provides lockable containers for your location and picks them up on a schedule that fits your needs, whether that’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. This program promotes compliance with privacy regulations, keeps your workspace organized, and ensures that all shredded material is recycled promptly.

Why Partner with Document Shredding & Storage?

DSS serves West Texas, South Plains Texas, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Eastern New Mexico with responsive, high-quality shredding services for individuals and businesses of all sizes. We’re known for our accurate billing, timely pick-ups, and excellent customer support. While large shredding firms have taken over the market, we remain a locally owned business committed to delivering secure, convenient shredding with a personal touch. Let us help you keep your data secure and your office sustainable. Contact us today to schedule your next shredding service.