Comments on: SHOTD: Michael Graves Shredmaster 20G

By: Jim McDonald

Jim McDonald — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:45:14 +0000

A word on Shredders. All shredders are not the same some shred in lines others cut across and down. Government departments will not purchase anything other than cross cut shredders they offer extra protection against the determined thief. Believe me there are guys out there willing to sift through cuttings in your bin .

By: bbum

bbum — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:32:25 +0000

I would recommend against composting anything but newspaper that is printed with a biodegradable ink (typically soy based). The chemicals in bulk mailings– color print, in particular — are fairly nasty and many are not likely to break down in composting.

While the concentrations are pretty low, it would be unfortunate to poison your compost pile over the years as the chemicals build up. Compost piles already lose 70% to 80% of their volume as the composting materials break down into dirt. Anything that doesn’t rot in that environ is just going to be concentrated.

Me? I’m going to continue putting the shredded stuff in large, tough, bags in my recycling. Easily separated that way and should eliminate most of the “flurry of shredded bits” that so often cause problems.

By: Daniel Jalkut

Daniel Jalkut — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 19:37:17 +0000

When I lived in San Francisco, the recycling company told me the same thing, and recommended composting the shredded paper. But in Somerville, MA, where I now live, the agency claims that they can recycle the shredded paper, so I put it out in paper bags.

By: argod

argod — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:14:11 +0000

Only problem with shredding is that is no longer recyclable.
Somebody needs to work on that. and you have to dispose
of the clippings using clear plastic bags.

By: Daniel Jalkut

Daniel Jalkut — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 15:08:54 +0000

I am with you on the shredding habit, and I agree that most of them suck. But my shredding needs went way down after I put my name on the mail preference service list:

http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html

It sucks that it costs $1 now, but it really works. Marketers have decades of experience subtracting the opt-out list from their mailing lists, and are required to do so if they want to be part of the Direct Marketing Association. It takes a while to sink in but when all the junk mail stops coming you’ll be happy.

There’s also a separate service by the credit card companies specifically for credit offers. I signed up for this about 5 years ago and haven’t received a personal credit card offer since.