Shredding & Document Destruction FAQ

Do you want to know more about on-site shredding services? Please browse our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to learn more about TrueShred and our secure document shredding process.

Call TrueShred at (888) 750-8783 or contact us online for additional information regarding our shredding services in the greater Washington, DC area.

Why Should My Company Shred Documents?

You have a legal responsibility to prevent sensitive client and employee information from falling into the wrong hands. At TrueShred, our secure document destruction service helps your business meet this secure shredding obligation.

We Have an Office Shredder. Why Should We Outsource Our Shredding?

TrueShred’s service is more cost-effective than in-house shredding. Savings include paid employee time, the cost of shredding equipment, equipment maintenance, and disposal costs. Manual shredding is also a time-consuming, tedious process; your employees’ time can be redirected to more efficient use.

What Receipts Are Safe to Throw Away? Which Should You Shred?

There are several schools of thought regarding receipts, as most contain little personal information, much of which is easily accessible through other means, or a truncated series of numbers. Unfortunately, this is all some thieves need to get started and in this case, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Experts warn that the only receipts that are safe to throw away are those which contain no personal information whatsoever, such as a grocery or coffee shop receipt. However, there are exceptions to even those rules—here’s what you need to shred:

• ATM receipts
• Bank statements
• Credit card receipts
• Credit card statements
• Grocery or other store receipts with identifying information (such as a loyalty program number)
• Receipts containing your name, address, and/or phone number
• Receipts with a truncated credit card or Social Security number
• Receipts containing your bank account number
• Receipts with your signature
• Used airline tickets

To learn more about receipt shredding services, contact TrueShred online or give us a call at (888) 750-8783.

Do We Have to Remove Staples, Paper Clips, and Binder Clips?

You do not have to remove staples, paper clips, and binder clips from your documents before the shredding process. At TrueShred, our powerful, state-of-the-art industrial trucks are able to shred paper, hanging file folders, staples, paperclips, and even binder clips at a rate of 8,000 lbs. per hour – minimizing time spent at your site and saving you time and effort.

How Long Must We Retain Documents Before They Can Be Destroyed?

Documents which have outlived their practical and legal usefulness should be properly destroyed. Adherence to a predetermined retention and destruction schedule is a sound business practice. Don’t subject yourself to a security breach by holding onto documents that have outlived their usefulness. With TrueShred, we are able to provide secure bins and consoles for your DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia business. You can retain the confidential documents you wish you shred within these provided bins and consoles until our professionals from TrueShred complete the shredding job.

If you are interested in properly and securely destroying your old, useless documents and media, contact TrueShred online or call us at (888) 750-8783.

What Else Do You Destroy Besides Paper?

In addition to documents, our state-of-the-art industrial shredding trucks at TrueShred can destroy:

• Hard drives
• CD-ROMs
• CD-Rs
• DVDs
• Computer backups
• Microfiche
• X-rays
• Videotapes
• Cassette tapes
• Product samples
• Prototypes
• Uniforms
• ID badges
• And more

What Does Your Service Cost?

At TrueShred, we offer secure shredding solutions that are customized directly to your needs and requirements. Whether you require weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly shredding service, TrueShred has a solution that will save your business time and money. Our shredding services are cost effective and affordable for your Washington, DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia business.

At TrueShred, we not only offer one-time shredding services, but also recurring shredding services – no matter what service your business needs, TrueShred is able to securely destroy your old, unwanted documents and media.

Contact TrueShred to get a quote on pricing for your shredding project at (888) 750-8783.

What Happens to the Paper After Our Documents Are Destroyed?

At TrueShred, we securely recycle 100% of all shredded paper material.

TrueShred takes every precaution when it comes to preserving the confidentiality and security of your sensitive documents. As a NAID AAA Certified on-site shredding company, we are required to adhere to the highest security standards in the document destruction industry. You can trust the TrueShred process for your most sensitive data.

Do You Screen Your Employees?

TrueShred demands the highest level of integrity for all personnel, so we do screen all of our employees. All employees are drug tested, background screened, licensed, bonded, insured, uniformed, and easily identified with a TrueShred ID Badge. Further, all employees are subject to ongoing background tests, and drug screening.

How Do You Ensure Privacy and Security Compliance?

TrueShred complies with all HIPAA, FACTA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and GLB requirements and strictly adheres to all conditions and regulations for the secure destruction of sensitive materials and protected health information (PHI). Our Operations & Policy Manual sets forth the policies and procedures required of our personnel to securely service consoles and bins, securely transport sensitive material to the truck, and securely shred material, rendering it permanently destroyed. TrueShred has earned NAID AAA Certification from the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID).

How Fast Can You Shred?

At TrueShred, our powerful, state-of-the-art trucks can shred up to 8,000 pounds of paper per hour –saving you time and money.

May We Witness the Destruction of Our Information?

With TrueShred, you are always welcome to witness the shredding process of your confidential material which includes an interior view of the shredding process, via a monitor mounted on the side of each shredding truck.

Do You Issue a Certificate of Destruction?

TrueShred does issue a Certificate of Destruction after each service visit to provide documentation of the secure destruction of your material, and you may retain the issued certificate of destruction as audit evidence for HIPAA, FACTA and GLB compliance.

Do You Offer a Guarantee?

As part of TrueShred’s promise, you may try out our recurring shredding service for 60 days. If you are not fully satisfied, you may cancel service with no penalty.

If your DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia business is interested in getting started with TrueShred, request your free quote today or call us at (888) 750-8783 for more information on our shredding process.

Do You Offer Shredding in My Area?

The majority of our service is done in the DC metro area. However, TrueShred regularly offers services to businesses and government offices throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland, as well.

If you’re not certain whether our services extend to your area, we would urge you to contact us either online or via phone at (888) 750-8783 to ask!

Does TrueShred Offer Residential Services?

Absolutely! The TrueShred team regularly serves homeowners with our full residential shredding services. Typically, we would suggest using our one-time shredding services since it’s not very likely that your volume will necessitate routine services. We would also suggest keeping an eye out for our shredding events, as they offer you the opportunity to rid yourself of smaller volumes of items securely.

What Are Shred Events?

Shred events are essentially a “drop-off” style service that we offer on a routine basis—most often monthly. This is a great opportunity for smaller businesses and homeowners to securely rid themselves of unwanted documents and media in a safe manner. The service generally charges by the box for “standard” size boxes and runs for four or five hours in specific locations. For detailed information on dates and more, we urge you to keep an eye on our event calendar.

Do You Only Offer On-Site Shredding?

TrueShred chooses to operate on-site only, both for our sake and for yours. Operating on-site offers distinct advantages by restricting the chain of custody to our trusted employees only and helps keep things clean, safe, and secure for our clients.

Where Can I Learn More About Shredding?

We try to offer as many resources as possible to our clients, and to do this we offer a wide array of information both through our “Shredding 101” pages and our blog. Our Shredding 101 pages attempt to answer questions similarly to this FAQ but in greater detail. The blog is updated routinely and offers information including the benefits of shredding, how our process works, and tips to help you with your business’s shredding needs.

How Do I Find Out What Others Have to Say About Your Service?

At TrueShred, we highly value the opinions of our current and previous clients and hope that potential clients will pursue learning more about TrueShred. We happily host testimonials from our clients on our website.

Do I Need To Use a TrueShred Receptacle for Ongoing Service?

When we provide routine and ongoing service to clients, we offer various sizes of bins and consoles to suit your volume of need. These bins make certain your documents are secure until our service date and help keep the process quick and smooth.

To learn more about our shredding services or to get started with TrueShred today, give us a call at (888) 750-8783 or contact us online today. Trust the TrueShred professionals with your confidential documents!