Updated November 2026 · Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth NH business shredding for Pease and Seacoast offices
Portsmouth NH business shredding, priced for the way Seacoast offices actually purge: one booked Zone 3 pickup, a full room of boxes, and a certificate for the file. This guide covers Pease Tradeport offices, marine and defense contractors, and what a pickup costs at 10, 20, 40 and 60 boxes.
99¢ per pound, or $20 per banker’s box at 10 or more. Zone 3 pickup $199.95. Certificate of Destruction on every job.
- 99¢ per pound
- Zone 3 $199.95 pickup
- Since 2007
- BBB A+
Quick answer
New Hampshire Document Shredding handles Portsmouth NH business shredding by booked pickup: Portsmouth is Zone 3, so transport is $199.95, plus 99 cents a pound (or $20 per banker’s box at 10 boxes or more) and $34.90 in per-job fees. Twenty banker’s boxes from a Pease Tradeport office come to $634.85, shredded at our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA, with a Certificate of Destruction. For homes and small loads, see our main page on shredding in Portsmouth.
Who needs Portsmouth NH business shredding
We shred at one place, our office on Route 38 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. We have no office, drop box or kiosk at Pease or anywhere else in New Hampshire, and we don’t park a shredder in your lot. For a Portsmouth business, that means one of two things. We drive up and collect your boxes, or someone from your office drives them about an hour south.
Most Seacoast business callers fall into a handful of groups. Each one makes paper on a different rhythm, and that rhythm decides whether a single annual pickup or a few smaller trips makes more sense.
Pease Tradeport offices
The Pease Development Authority describes the Tradeport as a 3,000-acre business and industrial park with about 250 companies and more than 10,000 people working there. That is a lot of filing rooms on one former air base.
Marine and defense contractors
Engineering, fabrication and support firms that work on federal contracts often hold drawings, specs and correspondence their contract tells them to protect. Some of it may be controlled unclassified information.
Downtown professional offices
Law firms, accountants, financial advisers and architects in the brick buildings around Market Square. Small staffs, steady paper, and often a walk-up with no elevator.
HR and back offices
Payroll, benefits enrollment, background check reports and old applicant files. Any Seacoast employer has these, from a ten-person agency to a Tradeport manufacturer.
Pease has an unusual history for an office park. The PDA notes that Pease Air Force Base closed in the early 1990s, and the land now holds Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, the Tradeport and its office and industrial buildings. The authority puts the space at about 4 million square feet. When a tenant there moves, consolidates or renews a lease, the back room full of banker’s boxes is usually the last thing anyone plans for.
A pickup fits that moment well. You book a date, stack the boxes, and the driver loads them. What follows is the cost math, then the rules that decide how carefully some of that paper has to be handled.
What Portsmouth NH business shredding costs with a Zone 3 pickup
Every price below comes from our published shredding rates. Portsmouth sits in Zone 3, our Seacoast zone, so the pickup carries a $199.95 transportation fee. We confirm the zone for your exact address when you book. The shredding itself is priced the same as it would be at our counter.
| Item | Price | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Shredding by weight | 99¢ per pound | Under 10 boxes, loose paper and bags |
| Small box | $15 per box | 10 or more boxes |
| Large (banker’s) box | $20 per box | 10 or more boxes |
| HIPAA filing fee | $14.95 per job | Every job. Covers the Certificate of Destruction paperwork |
| Environmental fee | $19.95 per job | Every job. Covers recycling the shred |
| Zone 3 transportation | $199.95 per pickup | Portsmouth and the Seacoast. Zone confirmed when you book |
| Stairs or restricted access | Handling fee, quoted up front | Zone price assumes ground level or an elevator |
| Hard drives and media | Quoted per item | Drives, tapes, discs, USB sticks, phones |
The transport fee is the same for ten boxes or sixty. That is why business pickups get cheaper per box as they get bigger. Ten banker’s boxes cost $200 in shredding, $34.90 in fees and $199.95 for Zone 3, for $434.85. Sixty boxes cost $1,200 in shredding with the same two fixed charges, for $1,434.85. The chart shows what that does to the price of each box.
Most of the saving comes between ten boxes and twenty. Past forty, the curve flattens, because by then you are mostly paying the $20 box rate. If your office is sitting on twelve boxes now and will have thirty by the end of the fiscal year, waiting and doing one pickup usually beats two. Our guide to shredding pickup cost by distance shows how Zone 3 compares with the zones closer to the border.
One more number for budgeting. A standard banker’s box of paper weighs about 30 pounds. Under ten boxes we charge by the pound, so a seven-box pickup runs about 210 pounds, or $207.90 in shredding. Add the fixed charges and that small job costs $442.75, more than ten boxes at the flat rate. If you are close to ten, fill the extra boxes before the driver comes.
Controlled unclassified information: background from NIST SP 800-171
Some Seacoast contractors hold paper that is more than ordinary business records. Federal agencies call one category controlled unclassified information, or CUI. NIST Special Publication 800-171, Revision 3, published in May 2024, sets out recommended security requirements for protecting the confidentiality of CUI when it sits with nonfederal organizations. NIST says those requirements are meant for agencies to use in contracts and other agreements with those organizations.
That last point matters. SP 800-171 is not a law that reaches every Portsmouth business. It reaches you through your contract. Your contracting officer, your prime contractor or your own security lead tells you whether it applies and how. NIST also notes that CUI itself is defined by the National Archives, along with its marking and safeguarding rules.
For paper, the useful part is the Media Protection family, one of 17 requirement families in the document. NIST is explicit that “system media” includes non-digital media, and it names paper and microfilm. Three requirements line up with what happens to a box of old files.
Media storage, requirement 03.08.01, asks you to physically control and securely store media that contain CUI. NIST’s examples include a locked drawer, desk or cabinet. Media transport, 03.08.05, asks you to protect and control media moving outside controlled areas, keep accountability for it, and document the movement. Media sanitization, 03.08.03, asks you to sanitize media before disposal so the information cannot be retrieved or reconstructed, and NIST lists destroying among the techniques.
Be clear about what we are. We are a paper shredding service with locked handling, a documented chain of custody, cross-cut shredding and a certificate on every job. We are not a CUI compliance consultant, and we do not make a determination for your contract. Before you hand over anything marked CUI, ask your security lead whether your contract names a specific destruction method or requires you to watch it happen. Classified material follows separate rules entirely and does not belong in any box you send us.
If the answer is that someone from your company must see the paper destroyed, book a witnessed session instead of a pickup. That option is covered further down this page.
How a Zone 3 pickup works for a Portsmouth business
Pickups always need an appointment, and we don’t promise same-day service. Book a week or two ahead of a lease end or a move, and pick a weekday that suits the building. The boxes come back to Tewksbury and are shredded after they arrive at our office.
Tell us about access when you book. The Zone 3 price assumes ground level or an elevator. A Tradeport building with a dock door is a quick load. A third-floor walk-up off Market Square takes longer, and the handling fee for stairs is quoted up front so the invoice holds no surprises.
Have one person own the hand-off. For records your contract or your auditor cares about, that should be the person who signs for records, holding the booking confirmation. It ties your door to our shredder in one paper trail, which is what a chain of custody shredding record is for.
- Book online or by phone. Use the booking form or call (978) 636-0301. Give us the street address, a box count, and whether there are stairs, a dock or an elevator.
- We confirm the zone and the date. Portsmouth is Zone 3 at $199.95. We confirm it for your exact address and tell you about any handling fee before the day.
- Pack and seal. Staples, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands and file folders can stay in. Pull three-ring binder hardware, hanging-folder frames and anything that isn’t paper.
- Bag the hardware separately. Old drives, phones, tapes and discs go in their own bag. They are physically destroyed and quoted per item.
- Hand off and count. Agree the box count with the driver. The boxes go into our vehicle in locked handling and travel straight to Tewksbury.
- File the certificate. Your Certificate of Destruction comes with the job. File it with the purge log or the project closeout.
A big Tradeport cleanout follows the same steps, just with more boxes. If you are planning a move or consolidation, our page on office cleanout shredding has a sorting order that keeps the job to one pickup.
Other record rules that touch Seacoast offices
CUI gets the attention, but most of what a Portsmouth office shreds is ordinary paper with ordinary rules. These are the ones we hear about most, with the source for each. None of them asks you to keep paper forever, and most of them care a great deal about how you throw it away.
| Record | Rule | What it means for disposal |
|---|---|---|
| Background check and credit reports on job applicants | FTC Disposal Rule, 16 CFR Part 682 | Burn, pulverize or shred so the information cannot practicably be read or reconstructed |
| Payroll and employment tax records | IRS: keep at least 4 years after the tax is due or paid | Shred after the period runs |
| Most income tax records | IRS: generally 3 years | Longer in some cases, then shred |
| Files with CUI under a federal contract | Your contract, with NIST SP 800-171 as background | Sanitize before disposal, as your contract specifies |
| Old laptops and copier drives with personal information | NH RSA 359-C:20 breach notice for computerized data | Physically destroy the drive, quoted per item |
The Disposal Rule reaches further than people expect. The FTC names employers among the businesses that use consumer reports, which covers any Seacoast firm that runs background checks. The rule’s own text, at 16 CFR 682.3, lists shredding as a reasonable measure and says you may hire a record destruction company after due diligence. Our guide to the FACTA disposal rule goes through it for New Hampshire employers.
Drives deserve their own plan. New Hampshire’s breach notice law, RSA 359-C:20, applies to anyone doing business in the state who owns or licenses computerized data that includes personal information. A dead laptop in a closet is still computerized data. We physically destroy drives, tapes, phones and USB sticks and quote them per item on our hard drive destruction page.
- Every job gets a Certificate of Destruction, covered by the $14.95 HIPAA filing fee
- A Business Associate Agreement is available on request for HIPAA covered entities and business associates
- No long-term contract. Book once a year, or before every lease change
- All shredded paper is recycled
When someone has to watch: the drive from Portsmouth
A witnessed session is the answer when your contract, your client or your own policy says a company representative must see the material destroyed. You book a time, bring the boxes to our Tewksbury office, and watch them go through the shredder. The certificate is signed in front of you. It costs $1.99 a pound with a $100 job minimum, plus the $34.90 per-job fees.
The drive is straightforward. From Portsmouth City Hall on Junkins Avenue or from the Tradeport, take I-95 south through Hampton and into Massachusetts, pick up I-495 south at Salisbury, and stay on it to the Route 133 exit for Tewksbury and Andover. Follow North Street to the end and turn left onto Main Street (Route 38). It is about 46 to 48 miles, and typically about an hour outside rush hour.
Here is how the math works for a typical contractor job. Five banker’s boxes weigh about 150 pounds, which is $298.50 witnessed, plus $34.90 in fees, for $333.40. One box hits the $100 minimum, for $134.90 all in. Read more about witnessed shredding before you book, and plan to arrive between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a weekday unless we have set another time by appointment.
Some offices split the job. The routine paper, old invoices and general files, goes on a Zone 3 pickup. The handful of boxes someone has to watch rides down I-95 in a company car for a witnessed session. That keeps the expensive per-pound rate on the smallest possible pile.
Choosing the right service for your Portsmouth office
Here is how we would steer a Seacoast office manager on the phone. Volume, staff time and the need to watch are the only three questions that matter.
| Your situation | Our pick | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 10 boxes, someone driving south anyway | Drop-off in Tewksbury | About $183.40 for five boxes |
| 10 to 20 boxes, no one free to drive | Zone 3 pickup | $434.85 for 10, $634.85 for 20 |
| A lease end or move with 40 or more boxes | One Zone 3 pickup | $1,034.85 for 40 boxes |
| Files a representative must see destroyed | Witnessed session | $1.99 per pound, $100 minimum, plus $34.90 |
| Drives, phones, tapes | Separate bag, any service | Quoted per item |
Our short version: under ten boxes, drive them down on a day someone is already heading to the Merrimack Valley. Over twenty, book the pickup and keep your staff in the office. The full side-by-side lives on our drop-off vs off-site page, and the pickup process is explained on our off-site shredding page.
Neighbors on the Seacoast face the same choice. We cover Exeter NH business shredding for offices and practices up Route 101, and Hampton NH business shredding for offices and seasonal rentals along the coast.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Portsmouth NH business shredding cost for 20 boxes?
Twenty banker’s boxes picked up from a Portsmouth office cost $400 in shredding at $20 per box, $34.90 in per-job fees and $199.95 for Zone 3 transport, for $634.85. That price assumes ground-level or elevator access. Stairs or restricted access add a handling fee, which we quote before the pickup day.
Do you shred on site at Pease Tradeport?
No. We shred at one place, our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA. We have no office or drop box at Pease or anywhere in New Hampshire. We collect your sealed boxes by appointment and shred them after they arrive in Tewksbury. If someone must watch, book a witnessed session at our office.
Can you shred paper that contains controlled unclassified information?
We shred paper with cross-cut shredders under locked handling and a documented chain of custody, with a certificate on every job. Whether that meets your obligations is set by your contract, not by us. NIST SP 800-171 asks contractors to sanitize CUI media before disposal. Check with your security lead before sending anything marked CUI.
Which pickup zone is Portsmouth in?
Portsmouth is in Zone 3, our Seacoast zone, with a $199.95 transportation fee per pickup. You also pay the normal shredding rate, 99 cents a pound or $20 per banker’s box at 10 or more, and the $34.90 per-job fees. We confirm the zone for your exact address when you book.
How long is the drive from Portsmouth to your office?
About 46 to 48 miles, typically about an hour outside rush hour. Take I-95 south into Massachusetts, I-495 south from Salisbury, then the Route 133 exit for Tewksbury, North Street, and a left onto Main Street (Route 38). Our counter is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Is it cheaper to wait and do one big pickup?
Usually, yes. The $199.95 Zone 3 fee is the same for ten boxes or sixty. Ten boxes cost about $43.49 each all in, and sixty boxes cost about $23.91 each. If paper is not piling up in a way that creates risk, one larger pickup costs less than two small ones.
Do our employees’ background check reports need shredding?
Yes. The FTC names employers among the businesses covered by the Disposal Rule, 16 CFR Part 682. When you dispose of consumer reports, you must take reasonable measures, such as burning, pulverizing or shredding, so they cannot practicably be read or reconstructed. Hiring a record destruction company after due diligence is one option the rule lists.
What about old laptops and copier drives?
Bag them separately from the paper. We physically destroy hard drives, tapes, discs, USB sticks and phones, and we quote them per item. New Hampshire’s breach notice law, RSA 359-C:20, applies to computerized data that includes personal information, so an old office drive needs the same care as a full filing cabinet.
Sources
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations (checked November 2026)
- Pease Development Authority, Pease Tradeport and Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (checked November 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, Disposing of Consumer Report Information? Rule Tells How (checked November 2026)
- Internal Revenue Service, How long should I keep records? (checked November 2026)
- New Hampshire RSA 359-C:20, Notification of Security Breach Required (checked November 2026)
Book your Portsmouth office pickup
Tell us the address, the box count and the access, and we will confirm Zone 3 and any handling fee before the day. Every job is shredded at our Tewksbury office and comes with a Certificate of Destruction.
Where we shred
1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Route 38, near I-495. Free parking out front.
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Witnessed sessions and pickups outside these hours by appointment.
- Pickup: Zone 3 for Portsmouth, $199.95
- Drop-off: walk in, 99¢ per pound
- Witnessed: $1.99 per pound, $100 minimum
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.