Are you trying to learn about the different types of shredders? If yes, you should check out our detailed guide by clicking here.
Every year, about 14 million Americans are the victims of identity theft. It costs them about $1.7 billion on an annual basis.
Do you want to make sure that you’re not the victim of identity theft anytime soon? Then you should be careful about who is able to gain access to your personal information.
One way to prevent unsavory characters from accessing your personal info is by investing in a paper shredder. These types of shredders are designed to help you shred up any documents that might have your personal info on them. It’ll stop the info from landing in the wrong hands once it leaves your home or business.
Paper shredders have turned into the most popular shredder types in recent years thanks to the rise of identity theft. But it’s worth noting that there are also lots of other types of shredders out there.
Check out some of the other types that are available so that you can go through the process of selecting the best type of shredder for your needs.
Strip-Cut Shredders
We just spoke at length about paper shredders and what they’re often used for, so we won’t talk about them too much here. But we would like to touch on strip-cut paper shredders for a moment.
Although strip-cut paper shredders are usually used to shred up paper, they’re also one of the types of paper shredders that can be used to shred up things like credit cards and CDs. This makes them useful to more than just those who want to use them to shred paper.
If you own a business, it’s good to keep one of these around at all times. In addition to shredding paper for you, it can also be used to break down other items that could contain sensitive information on them.
Industrial Shredders
Are you looking for a shredder that can tear apart almost anything that you put inside of it? Then an industrial shredder is exactly what you need to buy.
When you compare industrial shredders to all the different types of paper shredders, the most immediate difference will be that industrial shredders are much bigger. You’re going to need to set aside a lot more room for an industrial shredder.
But the other big difference is that industrial shredders are more heavy-duty than paper shredders. Companies with conveyors systems have always been an essential piece of equipment in the recycling and waste handling industry. They can be used to pulverize everything from corrugated boxes to electronics with ease.
Many companies invest in industrial shredders because they cut down on the amount of waste that they create. They can take a big pile of trash and turn it into a small pile of shredded-up materials in no time.
But they’re also sometimes used by companies that need to destroy sensitive documents and electronic materials. They can transform an old hard drive into a mangled mess in a matter of just a few seconds.
Pierce and Tear Shredders
A pierce and tear shredder is a type of industrial shredder that specializes in punching holes into items before ripping them apart. By doing this, they’re able to handle large amounts of waste in a shorter period of time than other types of shredders.
As a result of this, pierce and tear shredders have become very popular among those companies that offer mobile shredding services. They can visit a business and shred whatever they need shredded quickly and then be on their way.
More often than not, you’ll find pierce and tear shredders being used to shred up big piles of newspapers and cardboard. They’re the best type of shredder for these kinds of materials.
Tire Shredders
There are almost 300 million tires thrown out in the U.S. every year. Some of them will, unfortunately, find their way into landfills and sit there for years to come. But about 80% of them are recycled and reused in one way or another.
A lot of the tires that are recycled go into gigantic tire shredders that utilize rotary knives to cut the tires into tiny pieces. Those pieces can then be used to create things like:
- Fuels used in boilers
- Rubberized asphalt
- Covers for landfills
There are a handful of types of tire shredders that cut through tires in different ways depending on what exactly the tire pieces will be used for later. It’s important to select the right type of shredder based on what you want to use recycled tires for once they’ve been shredded.
Scrap Metal Shredders
The U.S. recycles almost 70 million tons of ferrous metal every year. This metal comes in many forms, including everything from aluminum cans to car frames.
It’s great that Americans take the time to recycle these ferrous metals. But it wouldn’t do anyone much good if it weren’t for scrap metal shredders that can process these metals and break them down to size.
Scrap metal shredders can make scrap metal more manageable and easier to work with by shredding it all up into smaller pieces. These types of shredders are heavy-duty enough to shred the aforementioned cans and cars as well as:
- Washing machines
- Metal plumbing pipes
- Electrical waste
Without these shredders, the U.S. wouldn’t be able to recycle ferrous metals as effectively as it does now. Many of these metals are reused to make other metal parts and products down the line because of the toughness of scrap metal shredders.
Which of These Types of Shredders Would Work Best for You?
There are very few things that can’t be shredded up through the use of a shredder. From paper and plastic to tires and metals, there are so many items that can be placed into a shredder.
If you’re going to shred anything, though, you need to know about the different types of shredders and use the right one. You don’t ever want to stick, say, a piece of plastic into a shredder meant for paper. It could ruin your shredder and force you to buy a new one.
Want to find out more about shredding and recycling things? Check out our blog for other informative articles.