Reuse your shredded paper. If your city recycles shredded paper, place your shreds with the rest of your recycling. Even if you can’t recycle, however, reuse your shredded paper by using it to line packages, gerbil cages and more.
Increase your shred capacity for office use. If your office shreds large stacks of documents, purchase a shredder that allows you to insert several sheets of paper at once. The less time you spend feeding paper into the shredder, the better.
Safety first. It’s rare, but young children do occasionally cut their fingers in a paper shredder. Don’t let small children use the shredder, and unplug the machine when you’re not using it.
Remove anything that’s not paper: Though many shredders can handle them, paper clips and staples will only cause problems for your machine. In addition, do not place cardboard or plastic in the paper shredder.
What should I shred? At home, you can protect against identity theft by shredding credit card and bank statements. At the office, shred information and correspondence that is protected by client privilege or simply confidential.