Paper Shredding

[mjonesnh]

Burn barrel for me for sensitive documents. Will say never 150 pounds to burn, at least not at one time

 

[Oaktree]

Will say never 150 pounds to burn, at least not at one time

Only time I ran into a situation like that was a couple years ago when my sisters and I were cleaning out our mother's house. She saved every bank statement, brokerage statement, phone bill, receipts/manuals for appliance that were long gone, etc. Easily the amount of paper the OP has.
While one sister was sorting thru the documents and putting them in a box, I was standing at the burn barrel throwng in this stuff a few sheets at a time. Still had to stir it occasionally to get it all to burn. Very time consuming!

 

[EarPlug]

here is an alternative method I found from AI

Soaking paper in water is a method to destroy it by turning it into pulp, which is a useful alternative to shredding for secure disposal, especially for sensitive documents. The process involves soaking paper in water for an extended period, and for a more thorough breakdown, you can mix the solution with a power tool to create a complete pulp. Another option is to place paper in a washing machine, where the water, tumbling, and spins will break the paper apart, making the writing unreadable.

Soaking and pulping

• Soak the paper:
  Place the paper you want to destroy in a bin with water and let it soak for at least 24 hours to allow it to soften and break down.
• Create the pulp:
  After soaking, use a paint mixer with a drill to thoroughly mix the solution. This will ensure the paper breaks down completely into a pulp.
• Dispose of the pulp:
  You can then dispose of the resulting pulp, which is effectively an alternative to shredding for destroying sensitive information.

You could also add some bleach to help it break down.

 

[ericm979]

Even in the SF bay area where everything is expensive it's only $11 per bankers box to have a commercial shredder do it. The ones we took in the other day were crammed full, about 30 lbs each.

The AI suggestion to soak it into a pulp would be a ridiculous amount of work for 150 lbs of paper. Typical for AI to confidently produce the worst answer. I usually put people who regurgitate AI on the block list. I'm here for actual human thoughts, not AI slop.

The burn barrel will only take a small amount (compared to 150 lbs) at a time so you don't overwhelm the fire. Paper burns well a sheet at a time but not so well as a thick stack of sheets. 150 lbs is going to take a really long time.

If your wood chipper is a big one that may work but like the burn barrel you'll have to feed in small stacks. It also may not shred it evenly or small enough to be unreadable. Then you will have to collect all the shreddings (from a machine designed spray them) and find a way to dispose of them. A chipper with a throat narrower than the width of the paper will have a harder time feeding the paper.

I think paying to get it shredded is the best option if you can't find a free service that will take that much.

 

[EarPlug]

Even in the SF bay area where everything is expensive it's only $11 per bankers box to have a commercial shredder do it. The ones we took in the other day were crammed full, about 30 lbs each.

The AI suggestion to soak it into a pulp would be a ridiculous amount of work for 150 lbs of paper. Typical for AI to confidently produce the worst answer. I usually put people who regurgitate AI on the block list. I'm here for actual human thoughts, not AI slop.

The burn barrel will only take a small amount (compared to 150 lbs) at a time so you don't overwhelm the fire. Paper burns well a sheet at a time but not so well as a thick stack of sheets. 150 lbs is going to take a really long time.

If your wood chipper is a big one that may work but like the burn barrel you'll have to feed in small stacks. It also may not shred it evenly or small enough to be unreadable. Then you will have to collect all the shreddings (from a machine designed spray them) and find a way to dispose of them. A chipper with a throat narrower than the width of the paper will have a harder time feeding the paper.

I think paying to get it shredded is the best option if you can't find a free service that will take that much.

Some people do not have the ability to burn in their area.

150 pounds is only 3 cases of copy paper. 10 reems per case at 5 pounds per reem.

Just because I used AI to do the typing does not mean that soaking in water is not a valid option.
Here are some NON AI references

 

[ponytug]

I'm sorry, but I highly doubt that most washing machines would survive pulping more than a few sheets of paper. A garbage disposal hooked up to an open area seems more of a match in the HP/ream category to me.

A 5 gallon bucket, a mortar mixer, and a hefty 3/4" drill, sure, especially if there was some detergent is in there.

But I'd go for the $11 disposal.

They do make self feeding shredders that can be loaded with a hefty stack of paper, but those aren't exactly inexpensive.

I used to work with a 5HP blender. Yes, that would do shred a slug of paper in seconds.

All the best,

Peter

 

[WM75Guy]

Now that we are retired we are cleaning out the office of old notebooks from years of working and teaching, old tax and legal documents, and boxes of papers from her parents' house when we cleaned it out. I fill up a 64-gallon Toter roll around garbage can. It has a 224# capacity, it weights quite a bit stuffed full of paper. Any extra goes in bags. I then have a mobile shredder truck from Ark-La-Tex Document Destruction in Tyler come onsite. They dump the can and shred the contents. If needed I refill the can from the bags. Cost was $88 last visit. Time to do it again.