Updated November 2026 · Southern New Hampshire
Drop off shredding in Tewksbury for southern New Hampshire
Carry your boxes into 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, any weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., with no appointment and no minimum. We weigh it at the counter, you pay 99 cents a pound plus the per-job fees, and your paper is shredded at our office the same business day.
99¢ per pound at our Tewksbury drop-off. Certificate of Destruction on every job.
- 99¢ per pound
- Since 2007
- BBB A+
- HIPAA BAA on request
Quick answer
Drop off shredding at New Hampshire Document Shredding costs 99 cents per pound plus $34.90 in per-job fees, or $15 per small box and $20 per banker’s box when you bring 10 or more boxes. You walk in at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no appointment, and your paper is shredded at our office the same business day. It is the lowest-cost way for southern New Hampshire homes and offices to get document shredding done, and every job gets a Certificate of Destruction.
How drop off shredding works at our Tewksbury counter
Most people who walk in from New Hampshire are in and out fast. You pull up out front, we help carry the boxes in, we put them on the scale, and you see the number before you pay a cent. Nobody asks you to sort, unstaple or explain what is in the boxes.
Your paper then stays with us inside the office. It goes into our locked handling area and through the cross-cut shredder at 1215 Main Street the same business day. The shredded paper is baled and sent for recycling, all of it.
That is the whole service. No account to open, no contract, no appointment. If you have done it once, you know how it goes the next time.
- Box it up at home or at the office. Any sturdy box or paper bag works. Leave the staples, paper clips, rubber bands and file folders in. Pull out three-ring binder hardware and hanging-folder frames.
- Drive down to Main Street in Tewksbury. From the Salem or Pelham line it is about 15 minutes. Come any weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. without calling first.
- Pull up and we help unload. Parking out front is free. Tell us at the counter you are dropping off and we bring a cart out to your car.
- Weigh and pay at the counter. Under 10 boxes we charge by the pound. At 10 boxes or more we switch to the flat box rate. The $34.90 in per-job fees is added once per visit.
- Shredded the same business day. Your material stays in our locked handling area and goes through the cross-cut shredder at our office that day.
- Keep the certificate. Every job gets a Certificate of Destruction. File it with your tax papers or your practice’s compliance binder.
Drop-off hours, address and what “walk-in” means here
The address is 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Main Street is Route 38. We are near the I-495 interchanges in Tewksbury, so most New Hampshire drivers spend more time getting to the highway than getting from the highway to us.
Walk-in hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. There is no Saturday drop-off. If you can only come in the evening or on a weekend, call us and we will talk about a witnessed session or a pickup by appointment instead.
“Walk-in” means exactly that. You do not book a slot, you do not call ahead, and there is no minimum. One grocery bag of old bank statements is fine. So is a pickup truck bed full of banker’s boxes from a closed practice.
For a very large load, a quick call to (978) 636-0301 the day before helps us have carts and floor space ready. It is a courtesy, not a requirement, and it does not change the price.
We have no office, kiosk or drop box anywhere in New Hampshire. Every box we shred is shredded at 1215 Main Street in Tewksbury. If a website or listing shows a New Hampshire street address for us, it is wrong.
Drive times to the drop-off from New Hampshire border towns
Each route below was checked in November 2026, from the town center to our door, with no traffic. Rush hour on I-93 southbound in the morning and northbound after 4 p.m. can add real time, so give yourself slack if you are coming at either end of the day. A midday run is usually the easy one.
| From | Usual route | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Salem | I-93 south, I-495 south (I-93 Exit 40B), off at I-495 Exit 94 for Route 133, then North Street to Main Street | Typically about 25 minutes without traffic |
| Pelham | Route 38 south through Dracut and Lowell, which becomes Main Street in Tewksbury | Typically about 25 minutes without traffic |
| Windham | Route 111 to I-93 south, then I-495 south to Exit 94 | Typically about 30 minutes without traffic |
| Plaistow | Route 125 south into Haverhill, I-495 south to Exit 94 | Typically about 30 minutes without traffic |
| Hudson | Route 3A to the Circumferential Highway, US 3 south, I-495 north (US 3 Exit 81A), off at I-495 Exit 92 for Route 38 | Typically about 35 minutes without traffic |
| Nashua | US 3 (Everett Turnpike) south, I-495 north, Exit 92 for Route 38 | Typically about 35 minutes without traffic |
| Derry | Route 102 to I-93 south, I-495 south to Exit 94 | Typically about 35 minutes without traffic |
| Londonderry | I-93 south, I-495 south to Exit 94 | Typically about 35 minutes without traffic |
From Salem there is also the local way down Route 28 through Methuen and Andover. It is a fine drive if I-93 is jammed, but on a clear day it ran about 10 minutes slower than the highway when we checked. Most Salem customers stay on I-93. For turn-by-turn notes from Salem, see our Salem to Tewksbury drop-off directions.
Coming from Nashua or Hudson, US 3 to I-495 and then Route 38 is the straight shot. If you would rather read every turn before you leave, our Nashua to Tewksbury drive guide walks it from downtown. Pelham is the odd one out. Route 38 runs right from the town line to our door, so there is no highway at all if you do not want one.
What drop off shredding costs, worked out by the box
The math is short. Under 10 boxes you pay 99 cents a pound. At 10 boxes or more you pay $15 per small box or $20 per large banker’s box instead. Every visit then adds the same two per-job fees: a $14.95 HIPAA filing fee that covers the Certificate of Destruction paperwork and a $19.95 environmental fee that covers recycling the shred. That is $34.90 per job, not per box.
A full banker’s box of paper weighs about 30 pounds. Using that number, here is what most New Hampshire customers end up paying. Your real total comes off the scale, so a box packed with heavy card stock will cost a little more and a half-full box a lot less.
| What you bring | How it is priced | Shredding | Per-job fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 banker’s box (about 30 lb) | 99¢ per pound | $29.70 | $34.90 | $64.60 |
| 50 pounds of loose paper | 99¢ per pound | $49.50 | $34.90 | $84.40 |
| 3 banker’s boxes (about 90 lb) | 99¢ per pound | $89.10 | $34.90 | $124.00 |
| 100 pounds | 99¢ per pound | $99.00 | $34.90 | $133.90 |
| 5 banker’s boxes (about 150 lb) | 99¢ per pound | $148.50 | $34.90 | $183.40 |
| 10 banker’s boxes | $20 per box flat | $200.00 | $34.90 | $234.90 |
| 20 banker’s boxes | $20 per box flat | $400.00 | $34.90 | $434.90 |
Notice the jump between five and ten boxes. Nine full banker’s boxes by the pound run about $267.30 before fees, while ten boxes at the flat rate are $200. If you are sitting at eight or nine boxes, fill one more and bring ten. It is the one place where bringing more paper costs you less.
For every rate in one place, including pickup zones and witnessed sessions, see our full shredding rates page. If you are trying to budget before a cleanout, the shredding cost guide runs more examples.
What to bring and how to prep your boxes
Prep is lighter than most people expect. Our shredder handles the small metal and the folders, so the hour you were planning to spend pulling staples can stay on the couch. What slows things down is hardware that is not paper.
Leave it in
Staples, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands and manila or colored file folders all go through. Do not unbind stapled statements or empty the folders. Box them exactly as they came out of the cabinet.
Take it out
Three-ring binder hardware and the metal frames of hanging folders. Pop the paper out of the binder and bring the paper. The frames from a hanging-file drawer slide off the folder in a second.
Bag it separately
Hard drives, USB sticks, CDs, tapes and old phones. They are not paper, so they do not go in the paper box. Put them in their own bag and we quote them per item for physical destruction.
- Use boxes you can lift. A banker’s box packed full is about 30 pounds, which is a sensible limit for most backs.
- Close the tops or fold the flaps. Loose paper blowing around a parking lot is the one thing worse than paper in the recycling bin.
- Paper grocery bags and trash bags are fine for loose mail. Double-bag anything heavy.
- No need to sort by type. Bank statements, medical bills, old returns and junk mail can share a box.
- If a client or a practice needs the job named on the certificate, tell us the name at the counter.
- Covered entities who need a Business Associate Agreement can ask for one before the first visit.
Not sure what is safe to shred yet? Check the document retention guide first. The IRS generally wants supporting records for three years, six if income was underreported by more than 25 percent, and seven for a bad debt or worthless securities claim. Employment tax records are at least four years. Once that window is past, the paper is ready to come to us. Our longer piece on how to prepare documents for shredding covers the edge cases.
What we do not take in the paper boxes
The drop-off counter is for paper. Most of what people ask about is fine, but a few things either need to come out of the box or need a different service. Here is the short list we go through at the counter.
Anything that is not paper stays out of the paper box. That means binder rings, hanging-folder frames, plastic sleeves full of keys, food, and household trash that got mixed in with the mail. When we find it, we have to pull it out by hand before the box goes near the shredder, and that slows the whole counter down.
Electronic media is the big one. A hard drive, a phone or a thumb drive tossed into a box of papers will not be handled the way it should be. Bag it separately and we quote it per item. Our hard drive destruction page explains how media is physically destroyed.
We also cannot take anything back. Once a box is weighed and paid for, it goes into locked handling and the next stop is the shredder. If you are unsure about a folder, leave it in the car and decide at home.
What we do not offer is free shredding. Towns, banks and credit unions run free shred days a few times a year, and they are worth using for a box or two. Our shred events page keeps track of them. The counter on Main Street is the paid option for the other weeks of the year.
There is a New Hampshire angle to keeping media out of the paper boxes. The state’s breach notice law, RSA 359-C:20, is written around computerized data that holds personal information. A business that loses an old laptop drive may owe notice to the people on it and to the attorney general’s office. A drive destroyed on purpose, and documented, is one less thing to worry about.
Wet or moldy paper is a different problem. Let it dry out first if you can, then bag it. Damp paper is heavy, so it costs more by the pound, and it can be messy to handle.
Parking, unloading help and paying at the counter
Parking out front is free and close to the door. You will not be hauling boxes across a big lot. If you tell us at the counter that you have a load in the car, someone comes out with a cart and helps you bring it in.
That matters more than it sounds. A lot of our New Hampshire walk-ins are emptying a parent’s house after a death, or clearing twenty years of home-office files before a move. Nobody should be carrying banker’s boxes alone at seventy-five. Ask for help, it is part of the job.
Weigh
Boxes go on the scale at the counter. You see the weight. Under 10 boxes that number sets your price.
Count
At 10 boxes or more we count small and large boxes instead and charge the flat rate per box.
Total
We add the $34.90 per-job fees once and tell you the total before you pay anything.
Pay
You pay at the counter before you leave. There is no account to set up and no contract to sign.
Businesses that drop off often ask whether the per-job fees apply every time. They do, because each visit gets its own certificate and its own recycling run. If you have a few boxes every month, saving them up and bringing a bigger load every quarter costs less than coming in for one box at a time.
The Certificate of Destruction is issued for every job. It records that your material was destroyed and when. Practices, landlords and accountants keep it with their compliance records. Households usually file it with the tax returns. Read more about what the certificate of destruction shows and who asks to see it.
Who uses walk-in shredding from New Hampshire
Our counter sees the same handful of situations week after week. If one of these sounds like you, you already know roughly what to bring and what it will cost.
Households
Old returns past the IRS window, closed bank and brokerage statements, medical bills and a drawer of pre-approved credit offers. Usually one to five boxes once a year, often in spring after taxes are filed.
Executors and families
Clearing a parent’s house in Salem or Derry. Decades of checkbooks and pay stubs, often in mismatched boxes and bags. Bring it as it is. We weigh bags and boxes the same way.
Landlords and small offices
Tenant applications, credit reports, payroll copies and client files from a one or two person office. A car load every quarter keeps the per-job fees low and the filing cabinets usable.
Practices and preparers
Dental and medical offices with charts past retention, and tax preparers clearing out client copies. These customers usually want the certificate in the business name and ask for a BAA.
One pattern we see a lot: someone drives down with three boxes, sees how quick it is, and comes back the next week with twelve. If you suspect there is more in the basement than you think, do a quick count before the first trip. Ten boxes or more puts you on the flat box rate, and one bigger visit means paying the per-job fees once instead of twice.
Drop-off, pickup or witnessed: which one fits your load
Drop-off is the cheapest of the three because you do the driving. That is the only real difference in price. The shredding rate is the same 99 cents a pound, or the same box rate, no matter which service you use. Pickup adds a transportation fee by zone. Witnessed costs more per pound because the shredder runs for you alone while you watch.
| Service | Shredding rate | Extra charge | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-off | 99¢ per pound, or $15 / $20 per box at 10+ | None beyond the $34.90 per-job fees | A few boxes up to a car or truck load, weekdays 10 to 5 |
| Off-site pickup | Same as drop-off | Zone 1 $129.95, Zone 2 $159.95, Zone 3 $199.95, plus a handling fee for stairs or restricted access | Large volumes, offices without a free driver, people who cannot lift |
| Witnessed | $1.99 per pound, $100 job minimum | None beyond the $34.90 per-job fees | Material you must see destroyed yourself |
For three boxes, drive. The pickup fee alone is more than the shredding on a small load. For thirty boxes from a third-floor office in Manchester, book the pickup. Your time and your back are worth more than the zone fee, and our driver does the stairs. The off-site shredding page shows how the zones and the handling fee work.
Pick witnessed shredding when a policy, a court order or your own nerves say you need to see it happen. Some estates and law offices choose it for a single sensitive file. If you are still weighing it up, our drop-off vs off-site comparison runs the break-even numbers by volume.
Households are our most common drop-off customers. Our residential shredding page covers what families from Salem to Nashua usually bring. Medical and dental offices use the counter too, and the medical shredding service page explains the HIPAA side: the Privacy Rule safeguard duty in 45 CFR 164.530(c), the media disposal standard in 45 CFR 164.310(d)(2)(i), and the BAA we sign on request.
The federal rules point the same way for anyone who handles consumer reports. The FTC Disposal Rule at 16 CFR 682.3 lists burning, pulverizing or shredding paper so the information cannot practicably be read or reconstructed. Landlords who pull tenant credit reports and employers who run background checks are covered. A box of those reports is a normal drop-off for us.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment for drop off shredding?
No. Walk in at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, any weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is no minimum and no slot to book. If you are bringing a very large load, a call to (978) 636-0301 the day before helps us have carts ready, but it is not required and the price does not change.
How much does it cost to drop off one box?
A full banker’s box weighs about 30 pounds, so the shredding comes to about $29.70 at 99 cents a pound. Add the $34.90 per-job fees ($14.95 HIPAA filing fee and $19.95 environmental fee) and the total is about $64.60. The scale at the counter sets the final number, so a lighter box costs less.
When does the flat box rate start?
At 10 boxes or more. From that point a small box is $15 and a large banker’s box is $20, plus the $34.90 per-job fees once. Under 10 boxes we charge by the pound. Nine full banker’s boxes by weight cost more than ten at the flat rate, so if you are close, bring the tenth box.
Is my paper shredded while I wait?
Your paper is shredded at our Tewksbury office the same business day you drop it off. It stays in locked handling until it goes through the cross-cut shredder. If you need to watch it happen, book a witnessed session instead. That runs $1.99 per pound with a $100 job minimum, plus the per-job fees.
Do I have to remove staples and paper clips?
No. Staples, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands and file folders all go through the shredder. Take out three-ring binder hardware and the metal frames of hanging folders, and keep anything that is not paper out of the box. Hard drives and other media go in a separate bag and are quoted per item.
Is there a drop-off location in New Hampshire?
Not one. We have no office, kiosk or drop box in New Hampshire. Everything is shredded at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. From the Salem or Pelham line it is about 15 minutes, and from most border-town centers it is typically 25 to 35 minutes without traffic.
Are you open on weekends for drop-off?
Walk-in drop-off is Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. only. If weekdays do not work for you, call us. Witnessed sessions and pickups outside regular hours can be arranged by appointment, and the off-site pickup service means you do not have to make the drive at all.
Will I get a Certificate of Destruction for a small drop-off?
Yes. Every job gets a Certificate of Destruction, whether it is one grocery bag or a truck load. The $14.95 HIPAA filing fee in the per-job fees covers that paperwork, so there is no separate charge for the certificate. Keep it with your tax or compliance records.
Sources
- 16 CFR Part 682, Disposal of Consumer Report Information and Records (eCFR) (checked November 2026)
- FTC, Disposing of Consumer Report Information? Rule Tells How (checked November 2026)
- 45 CFR 164.310, HIPAA Security Rule physical safeguards (eCFR) (checked November 2026)
- IRS, How long should I keep records? (checked November 2026)
- New Hampshire RSA 359-C:20, Notification of Security Breach Required (checked November 2026)
Bring your boxes down this week
No appointment, no minimum, and you see the weight before you pay. If a weekday walk-in does not suit you, book a pickup or a witnessed session online or give us a call.
Drop-off counter
1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Route 38, near I-495.
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk in, no appointment.
Three ways to shred: drop-off at 99¢ per pound, off-site 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.