Items You Should Never Put in Your Paper Shredder

Not all paper shredders are created equal. Some shredders have different specifications and abilities than others. When it comes to standard paper shredders, these models can only handle small quantities of paper and not much else. To avoid damaging your shredder, learn which items you should never put into a standard paper shredder.

Stacks of Paper

Standard paper shredders aren’t suitable for shredding copious quantities of paper at once. Running too many sheets through your standard paper shredder can cause jams, overheat your device, and even pose a fire risk. If your business has large stacks of papers that you need to shred quickly, the best way to shred them is to use an industrial paper shredder. Industrial shredders are more efficient in this regard, destroying paper at a rate of around 5,000 pounds per hour.

Plastics

Another item you should never put in your paper shredder is plastic. Every paper shredder has different abilities, but most standard paper shredders cannot shred plastic materials. These materials include ID cards, clear files, and other office accessories. Running plastic items through your paper shredder can damage the blades or cause your shredder to jam. Instead, you’ll need a specialty multi-media shredder that can handle both paper and plastic materials.

CDs, DVDs, and Other Accessories

CDs, DVDs, hard drives, and more types of technology store your business’s personal and confidential information. Before recycling or throwing away these objects, it’s important to destroy used optical disks and more to eliminate your data. However, you can’t insert these items into a standard paper shredder, or you risk causing major damage. Instead, use a degaussing machine or a multi-media shredder that can handle larger items. These unique destruction machines will help erase your data so that you can safely dispose of these accessories.

Have you ever tried adding any of these items to your standard shredder? Now you know for future reference that non-paper materials and even too much paper can damage your paper shredder.