If you’re in the industrial arena, and you need to shred tires, wood, plastics or metals, you need a specialized shredder that means business. Don’t expect to find an industrial shredder in your local office supply store. These heavy-duty machines are typically too large to fit on a store shelf.
Industrial-strength shredders are also available for companies that need to destroy large amounts of paper on a regular basis. Businesses in the financial industry often need an industrial shredder for paper.
To choose the right industrial shredder for your business, consider the materials you’ll be shredding, your anticipated usage (light, medium or heavy) and the level of security you need. Industrial shredders are sold in a variety of cuts that provide different levels of security—from the lowest to highest level, they are: strip-cut, cross-cut, confetti-cut and micro-cut. Each cut is available in different sizes, with the smallest sizes providing the highest security. The last piece of the equation is your budget. Industrial shredders aren’t cheap and run into the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. For this kind of investment, it’s imperative to choose wisely.
Among the numerous benefits industrial shredders provide, they can:
1. Protect your business intelligence, such as prototypes and manufactured products.
2. Protect customer privacy.
3. Prevent your scraps from being found by dumpster divers, thus removing liability associated with unfinished or unusable products.
4. Enhance your image as an environmental savior by shredding wastes and making it easier to dispose of or to recycle.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Industrial paper shredders
When you need to shred large volumes of paper—over 40 or 50 pages at once—an industrial shredder is the way to go. Depending on the model, heavy-duty paper shredders can handle a maximum of 80 to 600 sheets at once. Expect to pay a handsome sum—industrial paper shredders will set you back about $10,000-$40,000.
I recommend: WhitakerBrothers.com offers a good selection of industrial paper shredders to suit your needs.
Industrial shredders for multi-media
Multi-media such as CDs, zip disks, floppy disks and other backup media must be destroyed properly. Multi-media shredders also double as high-capacity paper shredders for a multi-task machine.
I recommend: If you have to dispose of a large volume of multi-media,
the Vecoplan Single-Shaft Rotary Shredder provides more security than conventional cross-cut shredding in a single pass with a single machine. You can find a variety of multi-media shredders in price ranges from $500-$5800 at
TickTockSales.com. For a directory of
multi-media industrial shredders, visit Business.com.
Industrial shredders for wood
Businesses such as carpentry shops, furniture makers, studios and warehouses that have to discard pallets on a regular basis are wise to invest in wood shredders or grinders to minimize waste.
I recommend: Check out
VecoPlan’s website for video product demonstrations that show how to shred veneer, planks, wood scraps and pallets.
Industrial shredders for rubber/tires
Disposing of rubber and tires can be an enormous task if they are not shredded beforehand. After being passed through an industrial shredder, tires and rubber can be recycled for multiple applications.
I recommend: AmericanRecycler.com gives tips on finding the right rubber and tire shredder and lists tire shredding equipment manufacturers.
Shred-Tech’s high torque tire shredders and systems range from 80 to 1,200 HP and are capable of processing automobile, truck and off-road tires at rates in excess of 20 tons per hour. Search for
tire shredder sources at Business.com.
Industrial shredders for plastics
Plastics can be recycled, but to protect your business intelligence and to condense your recyclables, you should shred products first.
I recommend: VecoPlan offers plastic shredders for applications involving plastics processing and industrial recycling.
Cumberland Plastics offers two- and three-shaft plastic shredders.
Industrial shredders for metal
Scrap metal isn’t just found at junkyards. Construction companies, factories and car dealers often have to dispose of scrap metal.
I recommend: Metal shredders, which can be found at Business.com, are designed to process automobiles, secondary metals and aluminum.
Industrial shredders for cardboard
Cardboard is one of the easiest things to recycle on the spot. After you’ve sent it through a shredder, you can immediately reuse it as packing material. Cardboard shredder prices range from about $2,000-$7,000.
I recommend: The Cushion Pak from
Genscoe Equipment turns your cardboard into packing material and saves on disposal.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Before you choose your industrial shredder, set up a recycling plan for your office.
- School all of your employees on the importance of shredding and delegate department heads to regularly perform spot checks on trash receptacles to reinforce the shredding policy.
- Call your local waste management or community-recycling center to see what programs they have available for businesses that shred.
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