Paper Shredding
- Thread starter Gem99ultra
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Oaktree
Super Member
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!
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
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.
ericm979
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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.
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
Super Member
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
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
Elite Member
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.
HawkinsHollow
Veteran Member
WOW! That is A LOT of paper! I guess it boils down to what you have more of, time or money? $88 does not seem too bad to have that much paper disappear in an instant.
Oaktree
Super Member
And who gets to clean all that pulp out of the washing machine when you're done? Enough of a mess when someone leaves a Kleenex in a pocket. Gotta love AI.
I had two experiences with shredding.
Had to destroy classified typewriter ribbon. Remember the old IBM Selectrics? You could read what was typed on the ribbon. We cut the ribbon and then fed it into our shredder. The shredder sucked the ribbon out of that cassette...... and then stalled as the the ribbon jammed up the mechanism. Spent the rest of the night using a bent paper clip to pick the pieces out.
Second time I found that in the winter time, the snowblower our company used would completely shred a newspaper hidden it a snowbank. Unfortunately it was the owner's copy of the Wall Street Journal. I took a lot of ribbing over that one.
Paying someone else is a no fuss, no muss, option for me.
Doug in SW IA
Had to destroy classified typewriter ribbon. Remember the old IBM Selectrics? You could read what was typed on the ribbon. We cut the ribbon and then fed it into our shredder. The shredder sucked the ribbon out of that cassette...... and then stalled as the the ribbon jammed up the mechanism. Spent the rest of the night using a bent paper clip to pick the pieces out.
Second time I found that in the winter time, the snowblower our company used would completely shred a newspaper hidden it a snowbank. Unfortunately it was the owner's copy of the Wall Street Journal. I took a lot of ribbing over that one.
Paying someone else is a no fuss, no muss, option for me.
Doug in SW IA
