In our world – absolutely! It is important to recognize, however, that data destruction, whether on paper or electronic media, is a process requiring security at several different points. Particle size is but one aspect of the secure process that needs to be considered. We feel it is more important when we are discussing mobile data destruction.
It is dangerous to believe that just because you have your sensitive material destroyed on-site in front of you, that your information has been destroyed beyond the ability to read it. That is far from the truth. The fact is that mobile shred trucks are not created equally.
Manufacturers utilize several different methods of destruction when producing their trucks. There are three main processes that are utilized in the mobile shred truck industry – pierce and tear (the most popular), slow-speed rotary grinding, and high-speed hammer mill grinding. Both the slow-speed rotary and high-speed hammer mill process require the paper to be ground small enough to fall through a small screen, thereby ensuring a small, consistent particle size. The pierce and tear process requires no screen at all. The paper is merely torn as it falls between two drums with teeth on them. While much of the paper is torn to small pieces, there is some that gets through the process relatively intact. The manufacturers of these trucks have been known to tell the truck purchasers that they may have checks and other material get through the “shredding” system intact.
In AccuShred’s opinion, that “pierce and tear” process is entirely unacceptable. We utilize a slow-speed rotary grinder shredding truck because we feel it gives our customers (and us) the peace of mind knowing that their sensitive material has been destroyed thoroughly. There is no guessing whether or not any big pieces go through the system. There aren’t because they can’t!
Please remember that particle size is merely one aspect of the shredding process that must be considered. It is critical to use a shredding company that takes the entire shredding process seriously.