Destroying old business bank statements and receipts

donmaico

Hi, I have just ceased trading and want to get rid of 4 business file cases filled with receipts and one with bank statements .I will be keeping the last 7 years ones but anything before that has to go.I started shredding the statements but that broke down so now I am wondering which is the best option.Incinerating is out of the question as the local council heavily discourages that. I dont think they are too keen on the idea of using a recycling bin or the rubbish bin although i thought i might slip some each fortnight into the recycling bin. I definitely do not need a regular collection from a trade waste disposal company but would they do a one off collection?

Undervalued

donmaico said:

Hi, I have just ceased trading and want to get rid of 4 business file cases filled with receipts and one with bank statements .I will be keeping the last 7 years ones but anything before that has to go.I started shredding the statements but that broke down so now I am wondering which is the best option.Incinerating is out of the question as the local council heavily discourages that. I dont think they are too keen on the idea of using a recycling bin or the rubbish bin although i thought i might slip some each fortnight into the recycling bin. I definitely do not need a regular collection from a trade waste disposal company but would they do a one off collection?

I used one that shredded in the back of the lorry so that I could see it being done. If you are happy for it to be taken away shredded and trust them to do it at the depot that can be cheaper.

I got a good one off deal by phoning round a few smaller companies. They came to me early one morning on their way to a regular monthly contract at a health centre nearby. I had about a quarter of a ton of stuff and paid about sixty quid although that was 8 to 10 years ago.

Some of the self store companies also offer shredding. You buy a bag a bit like a pillow case, fill and seal it then take it back to them for shredding. However I don't think you actually see it being done.

FreeBear

Financial records should always be shredded (in my opinion). Depending on how much you have, it might be worth investing in a new shredder. In the past, I have used a garden shredder to destroy confidential papers. Messy, but there is no way anyone would be able to stick them back together

clive0510

or buy a new shredder.

MovingForwards

Buy a shredder, do a bit at a time so it doesn't give up on you and allocate a part of each day to do it.

I wouldn't be putting anything confidential / private into recycling without destroying it first.

TELLIT01

If you put what should be confidential business waste into the recycling bin, and those documents did end up in the public domain it could cost you far more than the cost of a new shredder.

donmaico

there is a local company (Homeshred Uk) that offers shredding services and although it has received very good reviews I am not sure about the service it offers .Basically you buy a number of bags from them into which the documents go into the bags are sealed , they collect for another fee amd the bags get shredded, the total amount to be paid depending on the number of bags bought.It seems as though i would not be able to witness the shredding so it does not appear to be a good idea. 
How much should I expect to pay for decent shredder ? I probably overused the last one as it started making a clattering noise then gave up.I what to be ablest to shred several pages at one go but as i put in two at a time in it would slow down and then block so i had to keep unblocking it

Emmia

I'd buy a new shredder, and some of the shredder lubricating sheets rather than the bottles of oil as it is less messy.  We've got an Aurora AS1023CD shredder (about £60 on Amazon) which does 12 sheets, cross cut (although we normally do 4 or 5 sheets at a time) and  for something decent/robust I'd expect to pay £50+

We've had our shredder 8 or 9 years with plenty of regular use (husband runs a business from home, and all receipts get shredded too). 

We use a shredder lubricating sheet once a month, and/or before a big load of shredding.

GDB2222

Can you compost old paperwork?

Le_Kirk

GDB2222 said:

Can you compost old paperwork?

I do but I shred it first, it then goes in the brown bin, which around here is the garden waste bin.

Alfrescodave

Burn it in a garden incinerator making sure that neighbours are not inconvenienced. A cold damp day would be ideal when windows are closed and no one sitting/working in garden. Ash can then be put on compost pile.