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Shred-it

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Shred-it
IndustryInformation Security
Headquarters
Bannockburn, Illinois, USA[1]
Area served
U.S., Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, and Luxembourg.
ServicesPaper shredding and Hard drive destruction
Number of employees
5,000+
Websitehttps://www.shredit.com
Shred-it truck in Ontario
Shred-it service truck in 2018

Shred-it is an information security service by Stericycle Inc. Its services include document destruction, hard drive destruction, and specialty item shredding. The company is also known for its Annual Data Protection Report, a yearly survey of small business owners, C-level executives and consumers focusing on data protection and information security.[2][3][4][5][6]

History

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Greg Brophy founded Shred-it in 1988 and incorporated the company in 1989. In 1993, Brophy expanded the business by launching a manufacturing division called Securit Manufacturing Solutions "SMS". Today, SMS manufactures security consoles and specialty shredding trucks for all Shred-it's branches. It also sells industrial shredding equipment to other secure information destruction businesses.[7]

In 2014, Shred-it merged with Cintas Document Shredding, which now operates under the Shred-it name.[8][9][10]

In 2015, Stericycle acquired Shred-it for $2.3 billion and began positioning the company as one of its many waste management and compliance services.[11]

In 2016, Shred-it began sponsoring Good Riddance Day, an unofficial holiday in New York City's Times Square celebrating the departure of unwanted memories.[12][13]

In 2018, Shred-it was awarded a contract with the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.[14]

In 2024, Shred-It’s parent company, Stericycle, was acquired by WM (formerly Waste Management Inc).[15]

Services

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Document destruction

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Shred-it offers document destruction services where paper documents are shredded using industrial paper shredders. This service is offered on a one-time or on a recurring basis.[16]

Shred-it maintains a fleet of trucks that can provide this service on-site or deliver materials to Shred-it's facilities for destruction. The trucks are prominently featured at Community Shred-it events, where Shred-it partners with organizations like Crime Stoppers, to raise awareness about identity theft and fraud, while providing a safe way to dispose of documents with confidential information. Shred-it provides a custom quote for every document destruction job and ensures all paper waste is recycled.[17][18]

Hard drive, digital media, and specialty item destruction

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Shred-it provides secure information destruction for hard drives and digital media. Deliberately destroying these devices is the only way to ensure confidential information can no longer be retrieved.[19] Shred-it has two methods for securely destroying digital information. Shearing slices hard drives into minuscule pieces using 40,000 lbs of combined force while crushing uses 7,500 lbs of force pressure to drill irreparable holes in the hard drive, so information can never be recovered.[20]

The company also offers specialty item shredding, which involves destruction of any item that poses a threat to a business’ reputation or security. Shred-it's specialty item services dispose of items, like uniforms to casino chips, ID badges, prototypes, pill bottles, or material with outdated branding.[21]

In 2023, Shred-it launched ProtectPlus, a subscription document destruction service that includes cybersecurity and privacy training for customers.[22]

Partnerships

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In 2023, Shred-it began a 2-year collaboration with Tony Hawk, which included Shred-it’s sponsorship of the 2023 Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert event in Salt Lake City and hosting a Community Shred-it event.[23]

Recognition

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In 2019, Shred-it was named as a Gold Winner in the 15th Annual Info Security PG’s 2019 Global Excellence Awards, under the category of "White Paper or Research Report".[24] In the same year, the company also set a Guinness World Record, shredding 239,060 lbs (108,435.79 kg) of waste paper in 8 hours.[25]

Beginning in 2019, Shred-it has earned "Superbrands Status" for four consecutive years.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Stericycle moving headquarters to Bannockburn". Crain's Chicago Business. 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ Blair, Jayson (11 June 2000). "Making Sure There's No Paper Trail". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Reinicke, Carmen (2018-06-21). "The biggest cybersecurity risk to US businesses is employee negligence, study says". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  4. ^ Dallaire, Justin (2019-06-18). "Execs still underestimate impact of data breaches". strategy. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  5. ^ Catricala, Maria. "Shred-It Data Protection Report Shows Big Gap Between Canadian Businesses and Consumers When it Comes to Information Security". www.uzado.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  6. ^ "Having peace of mind on data security goes beyond emptying your recycle bin". sg.news.yahoo.com. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  7. ^ "Securit Mfg Solutions, A DIV.OF SHRED-IT CANADA CORP INC. 5075 NORTH SERVICE RD BURLINGTON ONTARIO L7L 5H6 | Supplier Report — Panjiva". panjiva.com.
  8. ^ "Cintas Corporation Announces Agreement with Shred-it International Inc. to Combine Document Shredding Businesses". Yahoo Finance. March 19, 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014.
  9. ^ Lambert, Lance. "Cintas 3Q earnings up 13.2%". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  10. ^ "Stericycle Completes Shred-it Acquisition from Cintas". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  11. ^ Sachetta, Ryan; Alexander, Doug (July 15, 2025). "Stericycle to Buy Shred-It International for $2.3 Billion". Bloomberg.
  12. ^ Keogh, Elizabeth (December 28, 2016). "Hundreds celebrate 'Good Riddance Day' in Times Square to shed unwanted totems of 2016". New York Daily News.
  13. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (29 December 2016). "'Good riddance day': an airing of 2016's grievances is thrown in the shredder". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Shred-it Awarded National Contract with U.S. Communities". Waste 360. June 27, 2018.
  15. ^ "WM Completes Acquisition of Stericycle". WM. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  16. ^ "7 Facts About Document Shredding You Need to Know". www.securitymagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  17. ^ "Shred-It mobile trucks at Oakville Place this Saturday". InsideHalton.com. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  18. ^ "Shredding a necessary evil for companies to avoid data theft". gulfnews.com. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  19. ^ Levy, Joel (2018-08-27). "Global information security firm, Shred-it, began as a startup in Oakville". Toronto Guardian. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  20. ^ "Hard Drive Destruction Service".
  21. ^ "Industrial & Clothing Shredding Services". 29 September 2023.
  22. ^ Quinn, Megan (April 26, 2024). "Stericycle reports progress on workforce and fleet optimization plan, touts new document service". Waste Dive.
  23. ^ Smalley, Megan (June 20, 2023). "Shred-it forms 2-year partnership with Tony Hawk". Recycling Today.
  24. ^ "2019 Winners Cybersecurity". Globee Business Awards.
  25. ^ "Most waste paper shredded in 8 hours". Guinness World Records. June 15, 2019.
  26. ^ Trim, Neil (February 20, 2023). "Shred-it awarded Superbrands Status for fourth consecutive year". Business Info Magazine.
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