Shredding services help prevent costly identity theft

Shredding services are inexpensive and easy to do. Compared to the cost of fixing your credit if your identity is stolen, it’s truly a bargain.

To protect yourself from identity theft, it is very important to securely destroy routine, but sensitive information. Merely tossing it in the trash or recycle bin is a habit you may one day regret.

Listed below are several ways to shred sensitive materials. You can choose convenient methods at modest cost or take advantage of seasonal free community shredding events.

What to shred

Here are some of the common documents you need to shred:

• Bank account and credit card statements
• Insurance policies, contracts, and other legal documents
• Medical records
• Cancelled checks, Invoices, receipts, and pay stubs
• Documents with signatures, addresses, social security numbers, or telephone numbers

Shred these and any other documents containing personal information that someone could use to steal your identity and create serious credit problems that can take many years to resolve.

Data destruction and shredding companies

These are several companies who provide shredding services for a fee. A paid service is useful for small businesses as well as individuals for large projects, such as when moving or downsizing.

Depending on your needs, some companies do more than just shred paper. Some can accept mixed media, including: hanging folders, plastic folders, compact discs, ring binders, and more. 

Puget Sound shredding companies

These companies Puget Sound region offer industrial services that include not only paper shredding but data destruction on any type of media. Services vary, many offer economical drop-off service, pick-up service with offsite data destruction, and mobile or on-site shredding at your location. Check their website for details and pricing.

• Allshred in Bremerton
• SeaDruNar Recycling in south Seattle
• American Shredding in Tacoma
• ProShred in Tukwila
• LeMay Mobile Shredding in Western Washington & Oregon

National shredding services

The following national chain stores offer shredding services at stores nationwide. They charge by the pound, which is useful if you are shredding small amounts (less than one box). Otherwise, drop-off shredding is a better deal.

• Fedex In-Store shredding services 
• Office Depot shredding services
• UPS Stores shredding services

How to save on shredding costs

The least expensive service is drop-off shredding. In this case, your documents are added to a larger batch that combines documents from multiple customers to be destroyed later. Your documents should be placed in a locked and secure holding bin while awaiting their destruction.

Drop-off is usually priced by the file/banker box and can be as little as $10 per box. Smaller amounts may be charged by the pound. To get the most shredding for your money, remove materials that do not contain sensitive information, such as file folders, instruction booklets, and other non-personal materials.

Pick-up service for files to be collected and destroyed later may be priced higher than drop-off or may require minimums. Mobile shredding is an enhanced service that shreds materials at your location. Pick-up or mobile on-site service is an affordable option for businesses that have large volumes of sensitive documents. For either type, you can request a one-time or occasional purge, or schedule regular on-going service (such as monthly or quarterly, depending on your volume).

If your volume is low, “do-it-yourself” or DIY shredding may be a better option. We offer more advice on DIY shredding options below.

DIY document shredding

DIY shredding using a small home office machine is relatively inexpensive and convenient. The average cost of a home shredder is $50-$100. You can find shredders at slightly lower prices and of course at much higher prices.

Before you purchase a machine, be sure to confirm with your garbage collection service about the correct way to dispose of shredded paper. The correct type of disposal bin can vary depending on whether the paper is straight cut or cross-cut. For some services, straight-cut is placed in the recycling bin, while in others it goes in the compost or green waste bin. Cross-cut shredded material may also go in the garbage bin because it is neither recyclable or compostable–it depends entirely on the garbage collection service where you live.

A lower priced shredder will have limited sheet capacity, cut the paper in long strips, may require removal of staples, will require removal of paper clips, and may not shred materials other than paper, such as thick cardboard or plastic credit cards. For many households, careful attention to sorting paper and removing staples for use in a lower priced model should provide several years of shredding capability.

If you need or want more features, you will need to spend more money on a shredding machine. A cross-cut shredder, which cuts documents in two directions and destroys the information more thoroughly will cost more than a less expensive straight-cut model.

If your household has lots of paper mail such as credit card statements, utility bills, and other documents, or if you run a home business, your shredding needs will be higher volume and more frequent. In this case, the DIY route may not be your best option and you may need more volume or regular service from one of the above data destruction companies. Keep in mind that drop-off service can be very cost effective for homeowners and small businesses. If you require only a few boxes per year, drop-off service is a more economical choice over buying a shredding machine for home or office use.

But there is one more shredding method that is cheaper—namely, free community shredding events.

Free community shredding events

Free paper shredding events are hosted throughout the year by various communities and organizations. These events are similar to paid drop-off service at a shredding company—your bags or boxes are added to a larger bin for shredding later. Most community shredding events have limits on the amount you can bring. These community events may also be limited by the capacity of the collection bins. If they reach capacity before the scheduled end of the event, it will end early. So, go earlier rather than later if you can.

A few shredding events are not free. Some are fundraisers that request a donation to a charitable organization. The suggested fee may be higher than a paid drop-off service. But it’s for a good cause—and may be a tax deduction, so check with your tax adviser.

The following organizations list community shredding events throughout the year. Visit their website for more infomation on what is acceptable. Some also accept other recyclables or even donations to the local food bank or other charitable organization.

BECU Shred and e-Cycle Events (Everett, Federal Way, and Tukwila)

BECU hosts Free Shred Events every spring and fall in Everett, Federal Way, and Tukwila. They’ll also collect cash and nonperishable donations to support a non-profit in your neighborhood. All events will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until the trucks are full. For more information: Shred and eCycle Event | BECU

• Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. BECU Federal Way Pavilions Neighborhood Financial Center, 31411 Pacific Highway South, Federal Way, WA 98003
• Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everett Memorial Stadium, 3900 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201
• Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. BECU Tukwila Financial Center, 12770 Gateway Drive Tukwila, WA 98168

Federal Way free recycling events

South King Tool Library, 1700 S 340th St, Federal Way, WA 98003. SKTL works with the City of Federal Way and other partners to help you shred documents and recycle items that don’t go in your curbside bin. More info: South King Tool Library Calendar

• April 12, 2025 from 10a-2p at SKTL for mattresses, tires, and paper shredding: Recycling Events | City of Federal Way

Kenmore/Lake Forest Park Recycling Events

Residential recycling events are held two times a year, in spring and fall. More info: City Residential Recycling Events | City of Kenmore Washington

Kent Recycling Events

Each year the City of Kent hosts a number of FREE recycling collection events that allow residents to dispose of recyclable items not typically accepted at the curb. More info: Recycling Collection Events | City of Kent (kentwa.gov)

• Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Hogan Park, 24400 Russell Road
• Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Canyon Ridge Middle School, 11000 SE 264th St
• Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Hogan Park, 24400 Russell Road

LeMay FREE paper shredding events

LeMay Mobile Shredding offers free community shredding across Western Washington. More info: LeMay Mobile Shredding – Events

LeMay FREE paper shredding events – April 2025

• 05 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Compass-Parking Lot Safeway | 14020 Main Street NE Duvall, WA
• 05 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Sprinker Recreation | 521 Military Road S, Tacoma, WA
• 12 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Americas Credit Union-Lakewood | 6310 Mt Tacoma Dr SW, Lakewood, WA
• 12 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. City of Dupont | 1700 Civic Drive, Dupont, WA
• 12 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. The Stor House – Bellevue | 1614 118th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98005
• 12 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. The Stor House Yelm | 10512 Creek St Se, Yelm WA 98597
• 19 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. TAPCO – 19th Tacoma | 6312 19th Street West, Tacoma, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. TAPCO Credit Union-Bonney Lake | 19371 WA-410 East, Bonney Lake, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. TAPCO Credit Union–112th Tacoma | 5303 112th Street East, Tacoma, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Anacortes Walgreens Parking lot | 909 17th Avenue Street, Anacortes, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 11:00 am. Lynnwood City Waste, 20525 60th Avenue West | Lynnwood, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Kitsap Regional Library | 700 NE Lincoln Road, Poulsbo, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Windermere-Olympia | 2312 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia, WA
• 19 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Edgewood Police Department | Parking lot of Northwood Elementary 9805 24th Street East, Edgewood, WA
• 26 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Timberland Bank-Puyallup | 12814 Meridian Ave E, Puyallup, WA
• 26 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Interstate All Battery | 727 134th Street SW, Everett, WA
• 26 April, Saturday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Accepting donations for Kiwanis Club projects. Suggested donation of $20, cash or check. Kiwanis Club | Umpqua Bank Parking Lot, 208 High School Road NE, Bainbridge Island, WA
• 26 April, Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Accepting donations for Kiwanis Club. Parking lot of Umpqua Bank | 208 High School Road NE, Bainbridge Island, WA

Office Depot free 5lb shredding thru March 29

Office Depot – Find a Store makes tax season less, uh, taxing! by offering FREE in-store shredding service at Office Depot or OfficeMax—regularly $.99 per pound. However, it requires a coupon and you do have to pay the sales tax. Find the coupon at the bottom of this page and be sure to read the fine print: Shredding + Storage Services | Office Depot. 

Pierce County free shredding events

Shred up to three shopping bags of paper at each event. Only shred portions of documents with sensitive information. For example, an entire banking statement does not need to be shredded—just the sections with account numbers. Remember that information like names, addresses, and birthdays are usually already available online and are not high priority for shredding.

All Pierce County shred events are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or until the truck is full. For more information: Shred Events | Pierce County, WA – Official Website (piercecountywa.gov)

• 3/29/2025: Browns Point Improvement Club, 201 Ton-A-Wan-Da Ave NE, Tacoma, WA, 98422
• 4/5/2025: Sprinker Recreation Center, 521 Military Rd S., Tacoma, WA 98444
• 4/12/2025: DuPont City Hall, 1700 Civic Dr, DuPont, WA 98327
• 4/19/2025: Northwood Elementary, 9805 24th St E, Edgewood, WA 98371
• 5/3/2025: Discovery Elementary, 4905 Rosedale St NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335
• 5/10/2025: Ford Middle School, 1602 104th St E, Tacoma, WA 98445
• 5/17/2025: Elks Lodge, 314 27th St NE, Puyallup, WA 98372
• 6/21/2025: Roy City Hall, 216 McNaught Rd S, Roy, WA 98580
• 6/28/2025: UP Refuse, 2815 Rochester Rd W, University Place, WA 98466

Renton Shred-A-Thon & Prescription Drug Take Back

Each year, the City of Renton holds small recycling collection events that are open to all residents.  All events are held at the Renton Technical College (3000 NE 4th St) Parking Lot 3 between 10 AM – 2 PM. The 2025 event dates and accepted items are:

• May 17: Metals, Styrofoam and Arts & Crafts Supplies
• June 7: Mattresses, Boxsprings, Cardboard, Tires and Small Furniture
• Sept. 13: Styrofoam™, Plastic Bags and Confidential Materials Shredding

SeaTac Recycling Events

Accepted items: SeaTac Recycling Event | Calendar | City of SeaTac

• Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. SeaTac BMX Track, 1855 S 136th St. 
• Sunday, July 20, 2025 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. SeaTac BMX Track, 1855 S 136th St.
• Sunday, November 9, 2025 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. SeaTac BMX Track, 1855 S 136th St. 

Western Washington free shredding events

Community shred events sponsored by Washington State. For more information: Community Shred Events | Washington State

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