Destroy paper
November 25, 2005 2:32 PM Subscribe
Is there a way to destroy a 55 gallon bag of papers easily, inexpensively, quickly, and without setting them on fire?
recycle them.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 2:43 PM on November 25, 2005
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 2:43 PM on November 25, 2005
Define "destroy." Do you need to make them absolutely, positively unreadable? Are they in a container that can be ruined, filled with water, etc.?
Absent those details, I'm inclined to agree with cadastral.
posted by cribcage at 2:59 PM on November 25, 2005
Absent those details, I'm inclined to agree with cadastral.
posted by cribcage at 2:59 PM on November 25, 2005
Most areas with law firms and financial service offices have a few "paper shredding-and-recycling" services. (I'm not sure what term to use for them, though.) You could try to find one of them and see if they'll do a one-off job. If you deliver it to their site, they'll probably just add it to their pile of paper to shred.
If you have any good friends in the legal or financial services realm, they might take your papers in for you. A 55 gallon can is a pretty big favor, though.
posted by Alt F4 at 3:01 PM on November 25, 2005
If you have any good friends in the legal or financial services realm, they might take your papers in for you. A 55 gallon can is a pretty big favor, though.
posted by Alt F4 at 3:01 PM on November 25, 2005
What is really expensive is not doing the job right and having someone read your secrets (or never being sure...). Worse, you could try some wacky trick by yourself and fail and end up with readable but now unburnable (soggy) documents.
If it's a sack o' scary stuff you'd never want anyone to read, take it to professional shredders. These guys are near you.
Or, if you think you'll be making more bags of papers like this, buy yourself a good shredder and start shredding as you go instead of letting things pile up like this.
posted by pracowity at 3:07 PM on November 25, 2005
If it's a sack o' scary stuff you'd never want anyone to read, take it to professional shredders. These guys are near you.
Or, if you think you'll be making more bags of papers like this, buy yourself a good shredder and start shredding as you go instead of letting things pile up like this.
posted by pracowity at 3:07 PM on November 25, 2005
Here are more "Office Records Destruction" services near your ZIP code.
posted by Alt F4 at 3:14 PM on November 25, 2005
posted by Alt F4 at 3:14 PM on November 25, 2005
If you have a Shred It near you, they may provide a 'shredding in exchange for a donation' service. This is what my workplace uses, since we only shred a small amount of material every few years when we purge client files. The donation at our local branch goes to Cancer Research.
Other shredding companies in your area may also offer that sort of service.
posted by nyxie at 3:17 PM on November 25, 2005
Other shredding companies in your area may also offer that sort of service.
posted by nyxie at 3:17 PM on November 25, 2005
Give it to toddlers. Drop in at a daycare and have a paper-tearing afternoon of fun!
Toddlers are terrible readers on the whole, so that solves the privacy issues. :-)
After it is shredded, you might make paper-maché piñatas.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:13 PM on November 25, 2005
Toddlers are terrible readers on the whole, so that solves the privacy issues. :-)
After it is shredded, you might make paper-maché piñatas.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:13 PM on November 25, 2005
Too bad burning's out. God himself can't buck the second law of thermodynamics...
You really do have to be more specific as to your requirements. But assuming a determined attacker, just remember that shredders alone are not a panacea -- very motivated parties can (and will) take the time to piece things back together. Additionally, since the shredder blades all have their own "signature" microscopically, with some edge analysis software reconstruction's not as hard as one would think.
Clearly data destruction is like data encryption -- you put a certain amount of effort into the process, hopefully commeasurate with the value and timeliness of the data and the resources and determination of your attackers.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 5:15 PM on November 25, 2005
You really do have to be more specific as to your requirements. But assuming a determined attacker, just remember that shredders alone are not a panacea -- very motivated parties can (and will) take the time to piece things back together. Additionally, since the shredder blades all have their own "signature" microscopically, with some edge analysis software reconstruction's not as hard as one would think.
Clearly data destruction is like data encryption -- you put a certain amount of effort into the process, hopefully commeasurate with the value and timeliness of the data and the resources and determination of your attackers.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 5:15 PM on November 25, 2005
do you live in an apartment or a house? ... do you have natural gas? ... when i was a kid my dad had an incinerator in the basement, a little smaller than a dishwasher ... i don't know if they sell them anymore, but something like that might work ... i know it's burning, but it's controlled indoor burning
i guess it depends on what it's worth to you
posted by pyramid termite at 6:26 PM on November 25, 2005
i guess it depends on what it's worth to you
posted by pyramid termite at 6:26 PM on November 25, 2005
You could bring it to my apartment. Things disappear there like crazy.
posted by tsarfan at 9:16 PM on November 25, 2005
posted by tsarfan at 9:16 PM on November 25, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cadastral at 2:42 PM on November 25, 2005