Free paper shredding events

Shredding your documents is a one way to protect yourself from identity theft and other forms of fraud. Shred pre-approved credit card offers, tax records, employment records, old bills, out-of-date account statements and other personal documents that include confidential information.

Several organizations regularly hold free paper shredding events in Charlotte. The events often happen in April and November, but can take place at any time.

We will be regularly updating this page with free paper shredding events in Charlotte and surrounding areas.

If you know of one that should be listed, please let us know at info@charlotteonthecheap.com and we will add it, time permitting. Read on for a little bit of information about buying your own shredder, and then a list of upcoming shredding events.

Buying a Shredder

Thinking of buying your own shredder? There are several kinds of paper shredders, and it’s important to know the differences between them, so that you can make the best choice for your privacy and security.

Strip-cut shredder: These cut papers into long strips. A standard size paper is typically cut into about 39 strips. They’re fine for shredding junk mail, but are not great for confidential materials, because the strips might still contain readable information. Also known as ribbon-cut, spaghetti-cut, or straight-cut shredders.

Cross-cut shredder: These cut paper diagonally from both directions. A standard size paper is typically cut into 400 pieces, offering more security than a strip-cut shredder. Cross-cut shredders are the most popular kind of shredders. Also known as a confetti-cut shredder.

Micro-cut shredder: These are the most secure, but are generally slower and more expensive than cross-cut or strip-cut shredders. They cut a standard size paper into 2,000 particles, making it impossible to read any data from the document.

Other features to consider:

Auto-feed shredder: Load a large quantity of paper at one time, so you don’t have to feed paper one sheet at a time.
CD shredding: Some shredders have a slot for shredding CDs, DVDs and credit cards.
Continuous duty paper shredders: Most shredders can shred for a certain amount of time (15-30 minutes) before needing time to cool down. Make sure to check for that in the specifications. A continuous duty shredder doesn’t need a cool down break.
Waste baskets. Most shredders come with a wastebasket. A pull-out waste basket is more convenient than the lift-off head. You can also put shredder bags inside the bin to make emptying easier.