Updated November 2026 · Southern New Hampshire
Shredding guides and resources, sorted by topic
Our best shredding guides and resources in one place, grouped by what you came to solve: cost, household paper, medical and HIPAA records, business purges, compliance and retention, and your own town. Each group starts with a short explanation so you know which guide to open first.
99¢ per pound at our Tewksbury drop-off. Certificate of Destruction on every job.
- 99¢ per pound
- Since 2007
- BBB A+ rated
- 6 topics one library
Quick answer
These shredding guides and resources from New Hampshire Document Shredding are grouped into six topics: costs, households, medical and HIPAA, business, compliance and retention, and town guides. If you read only three, start with the shredding rates page (99 cents per pound plus $34.90 in per-job fees), the NH document retention guide (most tax records can be shredded after 3 years) and the shredding FAQ. Every guide points back to the same place to act: our document shredding service at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA.
Start here: the shredding guides and resources most readers need
Most people who call the Tewksbury counter ask one of four things. What will it cost? Can I throw this out yet? How do I get my boxes to you? What proof do I get? The four pages below answer those questions in full, and they are the ones we send people to most often.
What it costs
Every price on one page: per pound, per box at 10 or more boxes, the per-job fees and the pickup zones. See our shredding rates.
What to keep
Household and business tables with official sources, so you shred only what has aged out. Read the NH document retention guide.
Quick answers
Prices, prep, drop-off, pickup, witnessed sessions, media and certificates, in short answers. Browse the shredding FAQ.
Which service
Drop-off, pickup and witnessed side by side, with break-even examples by volume and zone. Compare drop-off vs off-site.
How we write these guides: every price comes from our own published rates, and every rule comes from an official source such as the IRS, the FTC, the federal regulations or the New Hampshire General Court, named in the guide. When a rule is unclear or varies by license, the guide says so and tells you who to ask, rather than guessing.
If you already know your situation, jump to the topic below. Each group opens with what the guides cover and who they are for, then lists the guides with a one-line summary. The diagram shows the shortest reading path for the three most common readers.
- Find your topicPick the group below that matches your situation: household, practice, business or town.
- Check retention firstUse the retention guides to confirm each record type has aged out. Shredding is permanent.
- Estimate the volumeCount banker’s boxes. A box of paper weighs about 30 pounds, so the cost guides can turn boxes into a price.
- Choose the serviceDrive it down, book a pickup by zone or book a witnessed session, using the comparison guide.
- Book and keep the proofWalk in on a weekday or book online, then file the Certificate of Destruction with your records.
Cost guides
Price questions come first for almost everyone, and the answer is simpler than most people expect. Paper is priced by weight, 99 cents per pound, with flat box rates once you bring 10 or more boxes. Every job adds $34.90 in per-job fees, which cover the certificate paperwork and the recycling. Pickups add a transport fee by zone.
The guides in this group take those numbers and apply them to real situations: a household clearing a closet, a medical practice shredding every quarter, an office deciding whether to buy a shredder. Start with the general cost guide, then read the one that matches you.
| Banker’s boxes | Drop-off | Zone 1 pickup | Zone 2 pickup | Zone 3 pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 box (about 30 lb) | $64.60 | $194.55 | $224.55 | $264.55 |
| 5 boxes (about 150 lb) | $183.40 | $313.35 | $343.35 | $383.35 |
| 10 boxes ($20 each) | $234.90 | $364.85 | $394.85 | $434.85 |
| 20 boxes ($20 each) | $434.90 | $564.85 | $594.85 | $634.85 |
Totals include the $34.90 per-job fees. Zone 1 covers the border towns such as Salem, Pelham, Windham and Plaistow. Zone 2 covers greater Nashua and Manchester, and Zone 3 covers the Seacoast and points farther north. For any other town, the zone is confirmed when you book.
- Shredding cost in 2026Every pricing model explained, with worked examples by volume.
- Residential shredding costDrop-off, pickup, free events and a home shredder compared for households.
- Medical shredding costWhat a small practice pays per month and per purge.
- Pickup zones and distanceHow the zone changes the price, and when driving down is cheaper.
- Household shredding budgetHow much paper a home piles up each year and what to set aside.
- Shredder vs shredding serviceThe volume at which a service beats buying a machine.
- Home shredder costThe machine, oil, bags, power and your time, added up for a year.
- Office shredder costStaff time and jams versus paying by the pound.
Estimating weight before you book
You do not need a scale at home. A standard banker’s box packed with paper runs about 30 pounds, a full kitchen trash bag of loose paper is usually lighter, and a file drawer holds roughly a box. Count boxes, multiply by 30 and you have a fair estimate. We weigh everything at the counter, so you pay for the real number.
When witnessed costs make sense
Witnessed shredding is $1.99 per pound with a $100 minimum, plus the same $34.90. One box comes to $134.90 because the minimum applies. Five boxes come to $333.40. It costs about twice the drop-off rate, so save it for paper where watching matters, such as a legal hold release or an executive’s files.
The short version from the counter: for three boxes, drive. For thirty, book the pickup. The per-job fees are the same either way, so batching into fewer, larger jobs always saves money.
Guides for households
Household paper is mostly a sorting problem. Once you know what to keep, the rest is a few boxes and a short drive. These guides walk through the decisions in the order most families face them: what is risky to leave in the recycling, how long to keep each statement, and what to do after a move or a death in the family.
Start with the priority list if you have a closet full of mixed paper. It ranks documents by the damage they could do in the wrong hands. Then read the guide for your trigger, such as tax season, a move or settling an estate.
When you are ready, our residential shredding page explains how a household drop-off works, and the counter staff will help you unload.
- What to shred firstA priority list of household documents, ranked by risk.
- Old bank statementsHow long to keep them and how to get rid of them.
- Tax recordsWhat to keep, for how long under IRS rules, and when to shred.
- Junk mailWhich offers to shred, which to recycle and how to opt out.
- Shred or recycleWhat can go in curbside recycling and what must be shredded first.
- After a deathWhat executors keep for probate and final returns, and what to shred.
- Estate and downsizingClearing a parent’s home with the family, including a witnessed option.
- Before you moveWhat to shred, what to carry with you and how to guard your mail.
- Identity theft from trashWhat thieves look for in bins, and what to shred first.
- Identity theft preventionA practical yearly plan for NH households.
- After identity theftStep-by-step recovery, credit freezes and who to call in NH.
- Every way to get rid of documentsHome shredding, events, drop-off and pickup, with pros and cons.
- Burning documentsWhy the backyard fire pit is a poor substitute for a shredder.
- Wet documentsFlooded basement boxes: dry, copy or shred, safely.
- Shred eventsWho hosts free community shred days and what to expect.
- Shredding for seniorsFree and low-cost options, and the paid fallback.
A note on free shred days. Towns, banks and credit unions run them, and they are a good deal when the date fits and the line is short. Our shred events guide explains how to find one. For the rest of the year, a drop-off costs about $64.60 for one banker’s box including the per-job fees.
Medical and HIPAA guides
Health care paper carries the heaviest rules and the most anxiety. HIPAA’s Privacy Rule at 45 CFR 164.530(c) requires appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards for protected health information, and paragraph (j) asks covered entities to keep their HIPAA documentation for six years. What it does not do is name a single disposal method, which is why practice managers ask so many questions.
These guides are written for practice managers, privacy officers and owners, plus a few for patients and caregivers. Start with the main medical page if you run a practice, or the requirements checklist if you are writing a policy. Specialty offices each have their own guide.
- Medical shredding serviceThe main page for NH practices: rules, BAA, options and cost.
- HIPAA shredding requirementsA checklist built from the rule text, PHI types and documentation.
- HIPAA document shreddingFrom front desk to back office, with a one-page policy.
- HIPAA for NH businessesWho is covered, business associates and breach notification.
- Dental office shreddingCharts, film and insurance forms, plus selling or closing a practice.
- Mental health recordsPsychotherapy notes, substance use records and closing a practice.
- Disposing of old medical recordsRetention first, then the right way to destroy charts.
- EOB retentionHow long practices and patients keep billing paper.
- Medical x-raysWhy film is not paper and how it is destroyed.
- Medical paperwork at homeFor patients and caregivers: what to shred and what to keep.
- Practice records purge planAn illustrative step-by-step purge for a small office.
- Nashua medical officesZone 2 pickup, monthly volume and cost for city practices.
Paperwork matters as much as the shredding. File each Certificate of Destruction with your Business Associate Agreement and a short log of the boxes and date ranges you sent. Keeping those on the same six-year schedule as your other HIPAA documentation means you can answer an auditor’s question in minutes, not days.
One practical point applies across this whole group: x-ray film, imaging discs, drives and phones are not paper. Bag them separately. They are physically destroyed and quoted per item, and a Business Associate Agreement is available on request for covered entities and business associates.
Business guides
Business shredding questions are usually about logistics. How many boxes is a ten-year backlog? Does a pickup need a loading dock? Should we book once a year or every quarter? Who signs for the boxes? These guides answer the practical side, from the first box to the certificate in the file.
Start with the services overview if you are new to us, then the cleanout guide if you are moving or closing. Industry guides cover the paper and rules for accountants, real estate offices, schools and law firms. Our page on the industries we serve sums up what each field typically shreds.
- All servicesDrop-off, pickup, witnessed and media side by side.
- Office cleanout shreddingMoves, closures and bulk purges, box counts and pickup logistics.
- One-time shreddingWhen a single purge fits a small office or home.
- One-time vs scheduledVolume thresholds and cost math for repeat pickups.
- Preparing documentsStaples, binders, boxes and labels for an office.
- Pickup checklistAccess, box counts, who signs and what the driver does.
- How shredding worksFrom the counter to the bale to the recycling mill.
- When to witnessLegal holds, executive files, estates and audits.
- Questions to ask a vendorRed flags, terms and what a certificate should show.
- Choosing a shredding companyDistance, price structure, certificate and custody.
- Accountants and tax preparersThe Safeguards Rule and the post-season purge.
- Real estate officesClosing files, credit reports and the annual purge.
- Schools and daycaresFERPA records and the summer purge.
- Law firmsConfidentiality, pickup logistics and cost.
- Law firm file closeout planAn illustrative plan for clearing closed client files.
- Home officesRemote and hybrid workers: printed records and how to clear them.
- Hard drive and media destructionDrives, tapes, phones and film, quoted per item.
- Certified data destructionWhat the term should mean and what the certificate lists.
- Hard drive disposalWipe or destroy, and how to bring old computers in.
A typical first business job looks like this. Someone walks the storage room, counts 15 to 25 banker’s boxes past their retention period, bags a few old laptops separately and books one pickup. At 20 boxes, the shredding comes to $400 plus the $34.90 per-job fees and the zone fee, and the office gets one certificate for the whole backlog.
Two pages save businesses the most money. The pickup checklist prevents a wasted trip or a stairs handling fee you did not plan for, and the one-time vs scheduled guide shows when quarterly jobs cost more than they need to. Read both before you book a large job.
Compliance and retention guides
Every shredding decision has a retention decision behind it. Shred too early and you may lose a record you were required to keep. Shred too late and you hold a liability with no purpose. These guides set out the periods, the rules and the paperwork that proves you did it right.
The numbers in the chart come from the official sources listed at the bottom of this page. They are federal minimums for common records. Your industry, contracts, insurer or licensing board can require longer, and a lawsuit or audit pauses every clock.
- NH document retention guideHousehold and business tables with official sources.
- Record retention schedule templateDepartment by department, with a printable table.
- Records destruction policyTemplate sections, legal holds, approvals and certificates.
- Certificate of destructionWhat it must contain and how long to keep it.
- Chain of custodyWhat happens to your boxes after you hand them over.
- FACTA disposal rule16 CFR 682 for dealers, landlords, employers and lenders.
- NH data breach lawRSA 359-C:19 to 21 explained for small businesses.
- Disposal finesEnforcement cases from the federal agencies and what they cost.
- Security levelsStrip-cut, cross-cut and micro-cut explained.
- NH identity theft numbersState data from the FTC and what it means for households.
- Annual purgeHow to run a yearly cleanout at home or in an office.
New Hampshire’s breach law deserves a note. RSA 359-C:20 applies to computerized data containing personal information, and it requires notice to affected people and, for most businesses, the attorney general’s office. Old laptops and drives in a storage closet fall under it, which is why the media guides sit next to the paper ones. The New Hampshire data breach law guide walks through the notice steps.
Town guides
Every New Hampshire customer ends up at the same counter in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, about 15 minutes south of the state line. What changes by town is the drive and the pickup zone. The town guides cover routes, timing, ZIP codes, local recycling rules and which service fits which reader.
Start with the service area hub for a map of the zones. Then open your town’s main page. Several towns also have separate guides for households or businesses, listed in the hub.
| Zone | Pickup fee | Towns named in our price sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | $129.95 | Tewksbury area and NH border towns such as Salem, Pelham, Windham and Plaistow |
| Zone 2 | $159.95 | Greater Nashua and Manchester |
| Zone 3 | $199.95 | The Seacoast, including Portsmouth, and points farther north |
| Other towns | Zone confirmed when you book | Derry, Londonderry, Hudson, Merrimack, Milford, Hampstead, Rindge and others |
- Service area hubEvery town we serve, grouped by pickup zone.
- NashuaZone 2 pickup and the drive down to Tewksbury.
- Nashua drive guideTurn by turn to 1215 Main Street, with timing.
- ManchesterZone 2 pickup, the I-93 drive and city offices.
- SalemZone 1 and the closest NH town to our counter.
- Salem drive guideI-93 or Route 28, and when to avoid rush hour.
- PortsmouthSeacoast Zone 3 pickup, or one planned drive.
- PelhamRoute 38 straight down to Tewksbury.
- DerryOptions for Derry homes and businesses.
- LondonderryRoutes, zone and local business areas.
- HudsonEvery option for Hudson, with the drive time.
- MerrimackOffices along the Everett Turnpike and homes.
- PlaistowZone 1 on Route 125.
- HampsteadHomes and small offices, route and options.
- MilfordOptions for the Souhegan valley.
- ExeterSeacoast offices, practices and homes.
- HamptonBeach town homes and businesses.
- DoverOptions for Dover and the Seacoast north.
- BrooklineOne planned trip from the western edge.
- RindgeMonadnock region: one trip or a pickup quote.
Distance decides more than price. From the border towns, the round trip to Tewksbury takes less time than most staff meetings, so the drive almost always wins for a few boxes. From the Seacoast, the Monadnock region or the Lakes Region, a single planned trip with every box at once, or one pickup, beats several small runs.
If your town is not listed, the answer is the same. Drive to Tewksbury on a weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., or call (978) 636-0301 and we will confirm your pickup zone before you book. Our drop-off shredding page has the parking and unloading details.
Frequently asked questions
Which guide should I read first?
Start with the shredding rates page if your question is price, the NH document retention guide if your question is whether you can throw something out, and the shredding FAQ for everything else. Those three answer most of what people ask at our Tewksbury counter. Then open the topic group on this page that matches your situation.
How much does shredding cost with New Hampshire Document Shredding?
Drop-off is 99 cents per pound, and a banker’s box of paper weighs about 30 pounds. With 10 or more boxes, it is $15 per small box or $20 per banker’s box. Every job adds $34.90 in per-job fees. One box costs about $64.60 at drop-off. Pickups add $129.95, $159.95 or $199.95 by zone.
How long should I keep tax records before shredding them?
The IRS says 3 years in most cases. Keep them 6 years if you left out income of more than 25 percent of what you reported, 7 years if you claimed a loss from worthless securities or a bad debt, and indefinitely if you did not file or filed a fraudulent return. Employment tax records stay at least 4 years. Our tax records guide covers the details.
Are these guides legal advice?
No. The guides explain official rules in plain words and link the sources, but they cannot tell you when a particular record is safe to destroy. If you are unsure, especially with a pending dispute, an audit or a licensing rule, ask your attorney, accountant or licensing board before you shred. Shredding is permanent.
Where do I bring my boxes after reading a guide?
To our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876, on Route 38 near the I-495 interchange. Walk-in drop-off is Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and staff help you unload. We have no office or drop box in New Hampshire, so you can also book a pickup by zone.
Do you have guides for my specific town?
Yes, for most southern New Hampshire towns we serve, including Nashua, Manchester, Salem, Portsmouth, Derry, Londonderry, Hudson, Pelham, Merrimack, Plaistow, Hampstead, Milford, Exeter, Hampton, Dover, Brookline and Rindge. The service area hub groups them by pickup zone. If your town has no guide, call (978) 636-0301 and we will confirm the zone.
Do the guides cover hard drives and phones?
Yes. The media destruction, certified data destruction and hard drive disposal guides cover drives, SSDs, tapes, phones, USB sticks, discs and x-ray film. All of them are physically destroyed and quoted per item, separately from paper. Bag them on their own and list them when you book.
How often are these guides updated?
We review the library as prices, rules and official sources change, and each guide carries a reviewed date near the top. This page was reviewed in November 2026. If a rule you rely on has changed, the official source linked in each guide is the final word.
Sources
- IRS: How long should I keep records? (checked November 2026)
- GovInfo: 45 CFR 164.530, HIPAA administrative requirements, paragraphs (c) and (j) (checked November 2026)
- GovInfo: 29 CFR 1602.14, preservation of employment records (checked November 2026)
- GovInfo: 29 CFR 516.5, records to be preserved 3 years (checked November 2026)
- New Hampshire General Court: RSA 359-C:20, notification of security breach required (checked November 2026)
Done reading? Bring the boxes in
Once you know what can go, the rest is easy. Drive it down on any weekday, book a pickup by zone or watch it shredded, and keep the Certificate of Destruction with your records.
Visit or call
1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Route 38 near the I-495 interchange, about 15 minutes south of the NH line. Free parking out front.
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Witnessed sessions and pickups outside these hours by appointment.
Three ways to shred: walk-in drop-off at 99¢ per pound, pickup by zone, or a witnessed session at $1.99 per pound.
New Hampshire Document Shredding · 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876 · (978) 636-0301 · Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.