Get the Best Paper Shredding Service in Chicago, IL

With identity theft a growing concern for many businesses, shredding services in Chicago are a must to keep confidential documents secure. Keeping client information safe and secure is the number one way to warrant trust between your company and your customers. Chicago document shredding ensures that all personal information is properly disposed of, giving you peace of mind by significantly reducing the likelihood of a security breach. XRefer will provide you with important details on different types of paper shredding companies in Chicago to make sure your legal, educational and medical confidential records are safely destroyed.

Chicago Paper Shredding Costs

Chicago On-Site Paper Shredding

The average cost for on-site paper shredding in Chicago is $16.19. Pricing for on-site paper shredding in Chicago varies depending on the number of boxes to shred, and how often you need on site shredding service in Chicago.

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Chicago Off-Site Paper Shredding

The average cost for off-site paper shredding in Chicago is $18.75. Pricing for off-site paper shredding in Chicago varies depending on how often you need shredding service, and how boxes/bins/lbs. need to be shredded.

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Chicago Hard Drive Destruction

The average cost for hard drive destruction in Chicago is $12.78. Pricing for hard drive destruction in Chicago varies depending on the amount of hard drives to destroy.

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On-Site Document Shredding

Reduce the potential damages of data breaches by having a reliable document shredding company in Chicago destroy files right at your business. On-site shredding is ideal for businesses of all sizes and is the most convenient option. Some shredding trucks even offer a video monitor that provides a visual of the documents being shredded. This provides business owners with security and guarantees (with a certificate) the documents are properly destroyed. Especially ideal for companies who have large amounts of documents they need to destroy, on-site shredding can be used as for one-time service, periodic clean-outs or, more conveniently, scheduled monthly service.

Drop Off Services

You can also take your documents straight to the shredder to save some money. It is not as convenient as on-site shredding, the it can be cost-effectiveness for companies who already need to move documents from office to office. Shredding facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art shredding machines and employ trained personnel that will handle your shredding professionally, with security in mind. Most drop-off facilities charge by the pound with a charge anywhere from 42 cents to 80 cents per pound (not including minimum fees). Typically the more pounds of paper you bring in the cheaper your per-pound cost becomes.

For Your Protection – Privacy Laws

Regardless of your business, you are mandated by law to protect the privacy of your customers and employees and need practices in place to ensure that there is no potential misuse of private information. Document shredding companies in Chicago should be insured and bonded and should not hesitate to provide you with that information. Several privacy laws and federal regulations have been put in effect to ensure businesses have the proper guidelines for data-management.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003

The FACTA was signed to place limits on what you can do with private customer data and who you can share it with.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

The HIPAA sets standards to prevent security breaches from occurring at health facilities and demands that individual health information, such as medical records, prescriptions and Social Security numbers, be kept private.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999

Specifically for financial institutions, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 is a federal law that requires any company offering insurance, loans or even financial or investment advice to inform their clients of any information-sharing practices. This act consists of three section:

• The Financial Privacy Rule applies to how private information is collected and disclosed.

• The Safeguards Rule requires institutions to have security program enforced. This generally means that employees must be trained on knowing how to identify and protect documents that need to be shredded.

• Pretexting Provisions forbids anyone from gaining access to private data for reasons not fully disclosed.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

For parents, students and educational institutions, the FERPA is a federal law that applies to shredding medical records in Chicago. FERPA ensures the privacy of student education records and gives parents exclusive rights until their children reach the age of 18. Although schools are allowed to disclose directory information without a parent or students consent, this Act requires that the school provide a reasonable amount of time to allow the parent and/or student to request the information not be disclosed.

What To Ask Your Chicago Document Shredding Company

What Materials Are Accepted For Shredding?

Other than paper, most companies accept x-rays, credit cards, blue prints and a variety of other items such as computers, tapes, and dvds.

Does My Paper Need To Be Prepped?

There is no need to remove any type of binder, staple or paperclips. Industrial shredders can handle these types of bindings without a problem.

What Is The Shredding Process?

Document shredding in Chicago is performed in a state-of-the-art machine that can utilize a variety of shredding methods:

• Pierce and Tear: Instead of cutting vertically or diagonally like typical desktop home shredders, these machines pierce and tear the paper, eliminating the possibility of uniform cuts. This is the most popular type of destruction.

• Cross-cut: Documents are twice-shred, creating tiny pieces that would be impossible to piece back together.

• Grinding: Often used with plastic or metal objects such as hard-drives, DVDs or computers.

• Hammermill: This process includes metal swinging bars that hammer paper into smaller pieces which are then grated into tiny particles. Locations where you can drop off documents often use hammermill technology since it is fast and effective, but often more noisy and dusty than all other types of shredding.

What Regulations Do You Adhere To?

All document shredding companies in Chicago should be licensed and bonded and should adhere to specific guidelines set forth by federal laws pertaining to privacy. Different types of federal laws include FACTA, HIPAA, GLBA, and FERPA.

How Do You Guarantee Privacy?

A reputable service will provide a certificate of destruction which ensures that all documents have been destroyed. Most companies will allow clients to view their paper being shredded live through either a video monitor. This allows clients to feel secure as they can actually see everything being shredded.