Frequently Asked Questions

All shredded paper is compressed into bales on-site and transported directly to a certified paper mill the same day. The material is repulped and converted into new paper products, never sent to a landfill. We provide a recycling certificate for each job. For hard drives and electronic media, shredded material goes to a certified e-waste recycling facility that meets EPA and R2 standards.

No. Our industrial shredders handle staples, paper clips, and binder clips without issue. Remove only large three-ring binders with thick metal spines and any non-paper items you don't want destroyed (USB drives, credit cards, etc. — those we can destroy separately).

Yes. Every employee who works with client materials undergoes a comprehensive background check before their first day. Our NAID AAA certification requires this. Our background checks include criminal history, identity verification, and reference screening. We also carry employee dishonesty bonding as an additional layer of protection.

A Certificate of Destruction (COD) is a legally recognized document confirming your materials were securely destroyed by a certified provider. It includes the date and time, weight or volume, method used, and the technician's name. If your business handles personal data under HIPAA, FACTA, GLBA, or Massachusetts 201 CMR 17, you should keep CODs as compliance documentation. We issue one for every job, at no charge.

For most jobs, we can schedule service within 2–3 business days. For urgent compliance situations — an unexpected audit, a data breach response — we offer priority scheduling that can get a truck to your location within 24 hours in most Massachusetts service areas. Call us directly for same-day or next-day requests.

We serve all 14 Massachusetts counties, including Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, Worcester, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable (Cape Cod), Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire, Dukes (Martha's Vineyard), and Nantucket. Contact us if you're outside our standard area — we may still be able to accommodate you.

For on-site shredding, we recommend that a representative be present to authorize service and observe the destruction. However, we can accommodate situations where no one will be present — we just need written authorization ahead of time and a way to access the materials.

We place locked, tamper-evident consoles in your office. Employees drop documents in throughout the week. On your scheduled service day, our technician arrives, removes the full console, replaces it with a clean empty one, and takes the materials for secure destruction. You receive a Certificate of Destruction after each pickup. Most businesses sign an annual contract, though month-to-month options are available.

Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00 requires any business holding personal information about Massachusetts residents to implement specific security measures, including secure disposal of records when no longer needed. It applies to every business that stores a name plus any one of: Social Security number, driver's license number, financial account number, or credit/debit card number. Violations carry fines of up to $5,000 per incident.

Yes. We routinely sign HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with healthcare clients. Healthcare clients should request a BAA before their first service appointment.

We recommend retaining Certificates of Destruction for a minimum of 6 years, which aligns with the longest standard audit lookback period across HIPAA, FACTA, and SOX. We can provide copies of any certificate we've issued if yours are ever lost.

No. The price we quote is the price you pay. We do not charge fuel surcharges, environmental fees, minimum trip charges, or any other add-ons that weren't in your original quote.

We accept all major credit cards, checks, and ACH bank transfers. For recurring contract clients, we offer automatic monthly billing. Payment is due at time of service for one-time jobs; contract clients are billed monthly.

Yes. Volume discounts apply to large one-time purges (typically 20+ boxes), hard drive destruction at 10+ drives, and annual business contracts. Contact us for a custom quote if your volume is high.