Grant County, WA, has a proud history of being a vibrant and beautiful place to live and do business. This growth is fueled by dedicated businesses like yours, which focus on every detail—including the protection of private client information. At DeVries Business Services, we understand the importance of security in today’s world. That’s why we’re committed to investing in local communities like Grant County by offering top-notch shredding services to businesses of all sizes. If you’re wondering why shredding services are crucial for a growing business, we’ve answered some common questions below to help you understand.

1. Do Small Businesses Need to Shred?

Absolutely. Shredding is essential for safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and making it impossible for anyone to read or reconstruct. Whether your business is large or small, if you collect, store, or dispose of private client information, it is critical to destroy that PII securely. Shredding is the most straightforward and cost-effective way to ensure that sensitive information is destroyed. DeVries offers convenient options for small businesses, including one-time projects and drop-off shredding services, making it easy for you to manage your document destruction as needed.

2. What Documents Do I Need to Shred?

It’s important to destroy documents that could potentially be used for identity theft or to access valuable business information. You don’t need to worry about removing staples or paperclips—DeVries can handle all of that. Here’s a list of documents you should consider shredding:

• Financial Records: Old bank statements, credit card statements, and pay stubs, especially those not needed for tax or record-keeping purposes.
• Tax Documents: Outdated tax returns and supporting documents (like W-2s, 1099s, and receipts) older than seven years, as this is typically the period during which the IRS can audit.
• Medical Records: Expired medical records, bills, and insurance statements. Retain records necessary for ongoing health issues or medical history, but shred anything that’s no longer relevant.
• Insurance Documents: Expired or outdated insurance policies, including those related to health, auto, home, and life insurance.
• Legal Documents: Old contracts, leases, or other legal documents that are no longer relevant to current agreements.
• Personal Identification: Outdated IDs, passports, and any documents containing your Social Security number or other sensitive personal information.
• Credit Reports: Once you’ve reviewed your credit reports and no longer need them, shredding them can help prevent identity theft.
• Old Utility Bills: Utility bills and statements (electricity, water, gas) that you aren’t required to keep for any specific period.
• Junk Mail: Pre-approved credit offers and other mail containing personal or financial information.
• Shred All: To simplify the process and ensure you don’t miss anything, consider adopting a shred-all policy.

3. What is the Shredding Process?

At DeVries, we tailor our shredding services to fit your specific needs. Our process is designed to accommodate various preferences:

• Location: You can choose between on-site and off-site If you prefer, you can drop off your documents at your convenience. For residential customers, we offer specialized residential shredding services.
• Frequency: Depending on how many documents you generate, you can schedule pickups as often as needed. If you prefer to shred documents on an as-needed basis, we offer one-time shredding services as well.
• Shredding: On-site shredding involves DeVries trained staff arriving with a secure truck equipped with a shredding machine. This ensures that your documents are destroyed right at your location, with the option for you to witness the process. For off-site shredding, your documents are transported to our secure facility and shredded with an industrial shredder, mixed with other shredded materials for added security.

4. How Secure is Using a Shred Company?

Partnering with a professional shred company like DeVries significantly enhances the protection of your private information. Here’s how we ensure security:

• Shredding Technologies: We use both Pierce & Tear and Hammermill shredding technologies to ensure that your documents are destroyed and cannot be reconstructed.
• Collection Containers: To keep your discarded documents secure before shredding, we provide locking collection containers for you to use between scheduled pickups.
• Certificate of Destruction: To provide you with proof that your documents have been securely handled and destroyed, we issue a certificate of destruction for your records.

5. Do You Shred More than Paper?

Your private information isn’t just stored on paper, so it’s important to properly destroy other types of data storage as well. DeVries offers comprehensive destruction services for various items:

• Media and Hard Drives: We handle the destruction of discarded laptops, computers, thumb and USB drives, cell phones, iPads, and external drives.
• X-rays: We serve the healthcare industry by shredding and recycling X-rays, ensuring they are securely destroyed.

6. What Happens to My Shredded Material?

To support the sustainability efforts in Grant County, WA, DeVries recycles paper and e-waste to keep it out of landfills. We bale the paper fiber and ship it locally to produce apple cartons for Washington-grown apples and newsprint for our local newspaper. By choosing DeVries, you’re contributing to regional sustainability and supporting environmentally friendly practices.

DeVries is committed to providing secure and environmentally responsible shredding services with NAID AAA Certification. We’re here to help you protect your information while supporting our community. For more information or to schedule your shredding service, call us at 866-433-4691 or complete the form on this page.