Your Filing Cabinet
Is a Security Risk.
Let's Fix That.
That box of old tax returns in the closet. The bank statements you keep meaning to deal with. The medical records from 2014. Every document with your name and account number on it is a potential identity theft waiting to happen — until it's shredded.
15 Million Americans Are Victimized by Identity Theft Every Year
The most common source is discarded paper documents. Bank statements, medical records, tax returns, and credit card offers left in a recycling bin or trash can are enough for a determined thief to open credit accounts, file fraudulent returns, or access your medical history. Certified shredding eliminates the risk entirely.
Every Chapter of NH Life Brings Documents to Shred
Identity thieves don't care when you last touched a document. They care what's on it. Here are the four life moments when NH residents most often find a stack of sensitive documents that needs to go.
- Prior-year tax returns (7+ years old)
- Old W-2s and 1099 forms
- Bank statements from closed accounts
- Investment statements past year-end
- Pay stubs after W-2 received
- Old mortgage & closing documents
- Utility bills from previous homes
- Home office files
- Expired insurance policies
- Years of accumulated mail
- Explanation of benefits (EOBs)
- Prescription records
- Lab results and reports
- Insurance correspondence
- Medicare & Medicaid documents
- Deceased family member's records
- Old Social Security correspondence
- Financial statements & portfolios
- Legal documents past retention
- Old credit card & loan files
Not sure how long to keep specific documents? Our document retention guide has exact schedules for every common document type.
Your Home Shredder vs. Professional Shredding
Both destroy paper. Only one destroys it to a standard that actually protects you — and proves it with documentation.
What Should NH Residents Be Shredding?
If a document contains your name combined with any of the data below, it should be shredded — not recycled, not thrown in the trash.
- Bank and credit card statements Keep 1–3 years, then shred
- Pay stubs Shred after receiving annual W-2
- Tax returns Shred after 7 years
- Investment & retirement statements Keep year-end summaries 7 years
- Mortgage documents Keep while loan is active, then shred
- Pre-approved credit card offers Shred immediately — these are a theft risk
- Old hard drives and SSDs Reformatting is not enough — physical destruction required
- USB drives and flash cards Shred with media destruction service
- CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes Can be dropped off alongside paper documents
- Medical records and X-ray films Keep 7–10 years in NH; shred after
- Prescription records & pharmacy receipts Shred when no longer needed
- Insurance EOBs & claim correspondence Keep 1 year after claim resolved
- Social Security correspondence Shred anything other than your SSA card
- Medicare & Medicaid documents Keep for appeals window, then shred
- Old utility bills Shred after 1 year unless needed for taxes
- Expired insurance policies Shred when new policy is active
- Receipts with account or card numbers Shred immediately after reconciling
- Old driver's licenses & passports Shred immediately when renewed
What Will It Cost Me?
At 99¢ per pound — no minimum, no surprises. Estimate your cost before you drive over.
How Residential Shredding Works
Three steps from your front door to a Certificate of Destruction — most NH residents are done in under an hour including the drive.
All the Ways We Can Help NH Residents
From a single grocery bag to an estate cleanout — we have a service that fits your situation.
Questions From NH Neighbors
Real questions we hear every week from NH residents before their first visit. More on our full FAQ page.
Any document with your name combined with a Social Security number, account number, date of birth, medical information, or financial data should be shredded. Common items: tax returns older than 7 years, bank and credit card statements (after 1–3 years), old pay stubs, medical records and EOBs, insurance documents from expired policies, pre-approved credit card offers, and Social Security correspondence. For exact timelines by document type, see our retention guide.
Yes. Our drop-off has absolutely no minimum — you can bring one folder. A grocery bag of documents (5–8 lbs) costs about $5–$8 in shredding plus the flat $34.90 fee. Beyond cost, professional shredding reduces documents to particles that cannot be reassembled — and provides a notarized Certificate of Destruction that proves your disposal was compliant. Your home shredder does neither.
Almost nothing. Leave staples, paper clips, binder clips, and rubber bands in place — our industrial shredder handles them without issue. The only exception: please remove documents from three-ring binders. The metal binder spines (not the paper) can damage shredding equipment. Everything else comes in exactly as-is. No sorting, no organizing, no wasted time.
For most sensitive documents, no. Consumer strip-cut shredders leave pieces large enough that a patient identity thief with tape can reconstruct them. Cross-cut models are better but still produce fragments recoverable with forensic tools. Industrial shredders reduce documents to particles where reconstruction is genuinely impossible. Beyond security, your home shredder produces no documentation — professional shredding gives you a notarized Certificate of Destruction, your legal proof of compliant disposal under FACTA and NH state law.
Yes. The FACTA Disposal Rule applies to any person — not just businesses — who possesses consumer report information. Before discarding any document containing consumer report data, individuals must take reasonable measures to protect it from unauthorized access. Putting a credit report, a background check result, or even a bank statement in the recycling bin may not satisfy that standard. Certified shredding with a Certificate of Destruction does. Learn more on our FACTA compliance page.
Drop-off shredding by weight: 99¢ per pound. A Certificate of Destruction filing fee of $14.95 and an environmental compliance fee of $19.95 are added once per job (total: $34.90 flat). So a 30-pound job costs roughly $29.70 in shredding + $34.90 = about $62.60 total. Per-box pricing is available for 10+ boxes. Our full rate schedule is published online — no quote needed, no surprises.
Ready to Clear It Out?
We're 10–30 Minutes Away.
Drop off at our Tewksbury, MA facility Monday through Friday — no appointment, no minimum. Or call and we'll schedule a pickup at your NH address within 24–48 hours. Either way, your documents are gone by end of day and your Certificate of Destruction is in your hands.