Shredding FAQ: prices, prep, pickup and paperwork

At our Tewksbury drop-off, paper costs 99 cents a pound. If you bring 10 or more boxes, the flat rate is $15 per small box or $20 per large banker’s box. Every job adds $34.90 in per-job fees. So 50 pounds costs $84.40 in total and 100 pounds costs $133.90. Pickups add a transportation fee by zone.

They are the two per-job fees that apply to every job, whether drop-off, pickup or witnessed. The $14.95 HIPAA filing fee covers the Certificate of Destruction paperwork. The $19.95 environmental fee covers recycling the shredded paper. Together they come to $34.90 per job, no matter how much you bring, which is why big loads cost less per pound overall.

Box rates apply when you bring 10 or more boxes: $15 per small box and $20 per large banker’s box. Under 10 boxes, we weigh the load and charge 99 cents a pound. Nine full banker’s boxes at about 270 pounds cost $267.30 by weight, while ten boxes at the flat rate cost $200, both before fees. If you are close, finish the purge.

A standard banker’s box full of paper weighs about 30 pounds, so it costs about $29.70 at 99 cents a pound before the per-job fees. Boxes of thin paper or glossy magazines vary, and half-full boxes weigh less, so treat 30 pounds as a planning number. At drop-off, the scale settles the bill, and you see the weight before you pay.

A pickup costs the same shredding rate as drop-off, 99 cents a pound or the box rate at 10 or more boxes, plus a transportation fee by zone and the $34.90 per-job fees. Zone 1 is $129.95, Zone 2 is $159.95 and Zone 3 is $199.95. For example, 100 pounds picked up in Zone 1 comes to $263.85.

Drop-off is priced by the pound under 10 boxes, so a 10-pound bag of mail is $9.90 in shredding. The $34.90 per-job fees still apply, which brings it to $44.80. Witnessed shredding is different: it has a $100 minimum on the shredding charge, before the per-job fees, so the smallest witnessed bill is $134.90.

No. Every job is paid. Free community shred days are run by towns, banks and credit unions, on their own dates and with their own limits. They are a good fit for a couple of boxes. For the rest of the year, or for larger loads, our paid drop-off is open every weekday. See our list of shred events.

No. You can leave staples, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands and file folders in place. Our shredder handles them, and pulling them out wastes hours on a big purge. The only items you need to remove are three-ring binder hardware, hanging-folder frames and anything that is not paper, such as CDs or USB sticks.

Remove three-ring binder hardware and hanging-folder frames, and pull anything that is not paper. Open the binder rings, drop the pages back in the box and keep or recycle the empty binder. Hard drives, CDs, tapes, USB sticks and phones go in a separate bag, since media is quoted per item and handled apart from paper.

Banker’s boxes with lids are best. They stack in a trunk, carry with two hands and hold about 30 pounds of paper, which makes the price easy to estimate. Any sturdy box works for drop-off. For a pickup, tape every box shut and keep a count, because that count ties your boxes to the certificate you receive.

Sort for what to keep, not for what to shred. Once something is shredded it is gone, so check tax records, payroll files and property papers against their retention periods first. Pull out deeds, wills, passports and certificates that sometimes get filed with old years. You do not need to sort by paper type, color or size.

Count boxes and multiply by 30 pounds for each full banker’s box. Count half-full boxes as half. Then multiply the pounds by 99 cents and add $34.90 for the per-job fees. If the count reaches 10 or more boxes, use the box rate instead. A rough number is fine, since the scale decides the final bill.

Bring them to our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. It is on Route 38 near the I-495 interchange, about 15 minutes south of the New Hampshire line at Salem and Pelham by I-93 or Route 38. Parking is free out front, and staff come out to help you unload.

We are open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. Walk-in drop-off is weekdays only, during those hours. Witnessed sessions and pickups outside those hours can be arranged by appointment. If you plan to arrive close to closing with a large load, call (978) 636-0301 first so we have staff ready to unload.

No. Drop-off is walk-in during business hours, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are only needed for pickups and witnessed sessions. A quick call ahead helps if you are bringing a very large load or media like hard drives, so we can plan the unloading and give you a media quote.

Paper you drop off is shredded the same business day at our Tewksbury office. Until then it stays in our locked handling area. You see the weight on the scale, pay at the counter and leave. The Certificate of Destruction records the job, and the shredded paper goes to recycling.

No. We have one location, our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA. There is no New Hampshire office, kiosk or drop box. New Hampshire customers either drive down, which takes about 15 minutes from the Salem or Pelham line, or book a pickup, which is priced by zone.

It depends on volume and distance. The IRS business mileage rate is 76 cents a mile for July to December 2026, which covers the full cost of running a car. Compare your round trip at that rate, plus your time, with the zone fee. For a few boxes from a border town, drive. For many boxes from the Seacoast, a pickup is often cheaper.

You book online or by phone, we confirm your zone and a time, and you tape and count your boxes. The driver collects them, confirms the count and takes them to our Tewksbury office, where they are shredded after they arrive. You receive a Certificate of Destruction. Nothing is shredded at your address.

Zone 1 covers the Tewksbury area and New Hampshire border towns such as Salem, Pelham, Windham and Plaistow. Zone 2 covers greater Nashua and Manchester. Zone 3 covers the Seacoast and points farther north. Your exact zone is confirmed when you book. Our pickup zones guide lists towns by zone.

Pickups are scheduled by appointment, and we do not promise a pickup on the day you call. Book as early as you can, especially before a move or an office closing. If the deadline is tight, drop-off is the fastest option, since you can walk in any weekday and the paper is shredded that same business day.

Pickup prices assume ground-level or elevator access. Stairs or restricted access add a handling fee, which we quote up front when you book, so there are no surprises on the day. Tell us the floor, the number of boxes, and whether there is a loading dock or a better entrance for the driver to use.

No. All shredding happens at our office in Tewksbury. We do not shred from a vehicle at the curb or set up equipment at your address. With off-site service, a driver collects sealed boxes and brings them to the office. If you want to see the paper destroyed, book a witnessed session and watch it in Tewksbury.

No. We do not require long-term contracts. You can book a single pickup for a cleanout or book again whenever the boxes pile up. Each pickup is priced on its own, with the shredding charge, the zone fee and the $34.90 per-job fees, so fewer and larger pickups usually cost less per box than frequent small ones.

Witnessed shredding means you book a session at our Tewksbury office and watch your paper go into the shredder. The boxes stay in your sight from the scale to the shredder, and the Certificate of Destruction is filled in and signed in front of you. It suits files someone must personally see destroyed.

Witnessed shredding is $1.99 a pound with a $100 minimum on the shredding charge, plus the $34.90 per-job fees. That makes 50 pounds $134.90, 100 pounds $233.90 and 200 pounds $432.90. Above the minimum, watching costs about a dollar a pound more than drop-off, so it pays to witness only the boxes that need it.

Law firms closing client files, HR teams with personnel and discipline records, companies releasing records from a legal hold, and executors who want to see a parent’s papers destroyed. Anyone who simply wants to watch is welcome. For routine paper, drop-off or pickup at 99 cents a pound does the same job at half the price.

Our process supports the HIPAA Privacy Rule safeguard duty at 45 CFR 164.530(c) and the Security Rule media disposal standard at 45 CFR 164.310(d)(2)(i). Paper is cross-cut shredded so it cannot be read or reconstructed, and every job gets a certificate. Compliance is still your practice’s responsibility, so pair the service with written disposal policies.

Yes. A Business Associate Agreement is available on request for covered entities and business associates under 45 CFR 164.502(e) and 164.504(e). Ask for it when you book, before the first job, so it is in place when your patient records are handed over. It works with drop-off, pickup and witnessed service.

The FTC Disposal Rule, 16 CFR Part 682, applies to people and organizations that use consumer reports, such as landlords, employers, lenders and car dealers. It requires reasonable disposal of that information, and the FTC gives burning, pulverizing or shredding papers as an example. It also allows hiring a document destruction contractor after due diligence.

New Hampshire’s main statute here is its breach notice law, RSA 359-C:19 to 359-C:21. It requires anyone doing business in the state who owns or licenses computerized personal information to notify affected individuals after a breach, and in most cases the attorney general. Shredding old paper keeps it from becoming part of that problem. Our NH data breach law page explains it.

Yes. Tax preparers are covered by the GLBA Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR Part 314, which requires a written security program for customer information, including how it is disposed of. After tax season, client copies, drafts and source documents past their retention period should be shredded, not recycled. Our CPA page covers timing and volume for a busy office.

Schools that receive federal education funds are covered by FERPA, 34 CFR Part 99, which protects education records from unauthorized disclosure. Once a record has passed its retention period, shredding is the safe way to dispose of it. Our school records shredding page covers schools, daycares and tutoring centers.

Yes. Hard drives, tapes, CDs, USB sticks and phones are physically destroyed. Media is quoted per item rather than by the pound, because each type is handled differently. Mention it when you book or call, and bring it in a separate bag from your paper so it can be counted and quoted at check-in.

Yes, on the same visit, but not in the same box. Put drives, USB sticks, CDs and phones in their own bag and tell staff when you arrive. Paper is weighed and priced by the pound, while media is counted and quoted per item. Keeping them apart makes the bill accurate and the certificate clear about what was destroyed.

It is the document that records your job: who you are, what was destroyed, and when. Every drop-off, pickup and witnessed job comes with one. For witnessed sessions it is signed in front of you. It is your proof, for an auditor, a client or your own files, that the records were destroyed rather than lost.

No. The Certificate of Destruction is included with every job. Its paperwork is covered by the $14.95 HIPAA filing fee, which is one of the two per-job fees that come to $34.90 in total. There is no separate charge for the certificate, whether you shred one box or forty.

Keep it at least as long as the longest retention period that applied to the records it covers, and longer if your policy says so. File it with your retention log, the list of box contents, a file closing memo or the estate inventory. It answers the question someone may ask years later about what happened to an old record.