The true cost of your personal shredder

This article was originally published by PULP SHRED.

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We regularly hear from our clients expressing frustrations like, "My shredder broke down again!" or "My shredder runs for only 10 minutes before needing a 45-minute cooldown!" Additionally, some say, "My manager doesn't understand how long shredding documents can take, which distracts me from more crucial responsibilities."

If you can relate to any of these scenarios, you're in the right place. Continue reading as we demonstrate how a seemingly simple $250 office shredder could end up costing you nearly $6,822.36 over three years!

While smaller personal shredders are suitable for handling a limited number of documents, our example illustrates that the hidden expenses associated with office shredders are often considerably higher than their initial retail cost. Furthermore, operating your office shredder could be more than double that of hiring a shredding service, not to mention potential security vulnerabilities and environmental impacts.

The actual expenses can vary for each business based on factors such as employee count, salary levels, paper consumption, and the number of documents shredded on a monthly basis. The number and longevity of office shredders purchased also play a role. However, upon calculating the true expenses associated with your office shredders, you're likely to uncover that it costs more than double to operate them compared to outsourcing to a secure shredding service like PULP SHRED.

Here’s an easy way to assess your real shredder costs: To assist you in estimating your office shredder expenses, we’ve provided an example projecting the shredding costs for a small business with five employees. {To estimate your own office shredder expenses, simply adjust our figures to reflect your situation more accurately.}

A. Employee Count: A full-time staff of 5 employees.

B. Daily Shredding Time*: Based on our experience, each employee using the office shredder averages about 5 minutes of shredding time daily, totaling 25 minutes a day for the entire office.

*This includes time for gathering paper, aligning pages, removing staples, clips, folders, binders, metal pins, plastic covers, feeding the shredder, cleanup, and paper disposal.

Note: You might think 25 minutes of shredding daily is excessive for a small office; however, it's essential to remember that total shred time encompasses more than just the time spent actually shredding documents. The time taken for an employee to walk to the shredder, remove paper clips and staples, get the documents ready, feed the shredder, and return to their workspace must be considered. Moreover, someone is required to clean around the shredder and manage the disposal of the shredded material each time the bag fills up. Therefore, 25 minutes per day may be a conservative estimate for a small business.

C. Total Daily Shredding Time (in minutes): 25 minutes daily (A x B).

D. Total Daily Shredding Time (in hours): 0.42 hours daily (C/60 or 25/60 = 0.42 hours).

E. Average Workdays Per Month: 21.67 workdays per month (office operating Monday through Friday).

F. Monthly Shred Hours: 9.03 shredding hours monthly (D x E).

G. Average Hourly Wage: $19.50 per hour.

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Note: We have used a minimum wage of $15.00 per hour plus benefits. This represents a conservative estimate as not all employees will earn the minimum wage.

H. Total Monthly Labor Cost for Shredding: $176.08 labor cost per month (F x G).

I. Purchase Cost of an Office Shredder: $250 for one office shredder.

Note: Office shredders can range in price from $150 to over $500, depending on the brand and model you choose.

J. Life Expectancy of Office Shredder: 36 months.

Note: We’ve considered a generous life expectancy of 36 months for the shredder, even though many need replacement in less than two years.

K. Monthly Depreciation Cost: $6.94 monthly depreciation cost (I / J).

L. Monthly Maintenance Cost: $6.50 average monthly maintenance cost.

Note: Based on our experience, office shredder blades typically require sharpening, and bags for collected shredded paper must be purchased frequently. This is a conservative estimate. You may choose to use our figures or attempt to determine your own.

M. Total Monthly Equipment Cost: $13.44 monthly equipment cost (K + L).

N. Total Monthly Cost of Office Shredder: $189.52 total monthly expense for owning and operating your office shredder (H + M).

O. True Lifetime Cost of the Office Shredder: Over a lifespan of 36 months, the initial $250 office shredder ultimately costs the company a staggering $6,822.36, which is 27 times its retail price!

PULP SHRED supports businesses and home offices in moving away from in-house shredders and establishing a secure and sustainable shredding program tailored to their specific needs. Don’t leave your security to chance!

Contact us today at 403-453-. or reach out to us for a confidential, obligation-free evaluation of your shredding needs.

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