From painting to penning the Great American novel, there are so many things you can do on paper. Plus, we promise it’s a fun time watching thousands of pounds of paper getting shredded every hour on industrial shredders. However, did you know that paper shredding, as a whole, has some pretty cool backstories to it? We bet you didn’t know these fun facts about paper shredding.
- The first paper shredding machine was patented in 1909. Its inventor, Abbot Augustus Lowe, sadly never got to see his creation mass-produced as he died three years after patenting it.
- The next paper shred machine was created in 1935 by German engineer, Adolf Ehinger. Its sole purpose was to shred thousands of volumes of anti-Nazi propaganda before Hitler’s secret police could find them.
- Paper shredding has grown into its own industry due to state and federal laws meant to prevent identity theft. That’s why you’ve probably noticed a lot of document destruction companies popping up. (Like us!)
- Paper shredding became much more popular in homes in 1988. This was when the Supreme Court ruled that any personal trash became public property once it was placed on the curb. Homeowners didn’t want anyone easily stealing their information.
- Shredding isn’t something just done in-house. Many companies hire outside document destruction firms to shred the pounds upon pounds of information they no longer need or want.
- Even the biggest paper shredders in your offices are no match for industrial shredders. These bad boys eat thousands of pounds of paper every hour and have no problem taking on binder clips, rubber bands, staples, hanging folders, and more.
- Paper shred offers many perks. The biggest benefits of shredding your unwanted documents is knowing that your information will not fall into the wrong hands.
Complete Shredding Solutions offers secure, AAA certified purge services and document destruction for your home or office. We make sure that your information is safe from identity theft and even provide you with a certificate signifying your proof of compliance with all privacy legislation. For document destruction and paper shredding services on Long Island, and in NYC, New Jersey, and nationwide, call us at 516-442-1642.