Comparison

DeSnipperaar vs Shred-it: console on a fixed schedule or per job?

1 April 2026 · 6 min read · DeSnipperaar

Shred-it is the best-known international name in document destruction. Part of Stericycle, originally American, active worldwide, including the Netherlands. Their model centres on consoles in the office and scheduled collection rounds. DeSnipperaar is the opposite: we have no consoles and no schedule. We work as a sealed pickup service on demand within 20 km of Amsterdam, with offsite destruction within 24 hours. This article sets the two models side by side, honestly.

Shred-it in brief

Shred-it places locked consoles (paper containers with a slot) in your office. Staff drop confidential paper into the console daily. On a fixed schedule (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) a Shred-it truck stops by, swaps the contents and destroys in the truck or at a central location. You get a certificate per visit.

Strong points: international standard, uniform processes across multiple countries, good fit for a continuous confidential paper stream, solid compliance documentation, recognisable brand for multinationals.

DeSnipperaar in brief

No consoles, no schedule. You collect your own confidential paper in your archive cabinet or boxes, call us when you are ready to destroy, and we collect it from you under seal. Destruction happens offsite within 24 hours at DIN 66399 P-5. Unlike Shred-it, which also shreds mobile on site, we work through a sealed pickup service. You receive a certificate per job. No contract.

Comparison table

The console model in practice

The console system is designed for organisations with continuous production of confidential paper: large accountancy firms, HR departments of multinationals, contact centres. Every member of staff can dispose of something immediately. The round runs on schedule, no scheduling worries. That efficiency is real for companies producing genuine volumes.

For a law firm with three partners that clears out files once a quarter, such a console is heavily oversized. The console stands more empty than full, you pay a subscription for collections that are barely needed, and the fixed schedule does not fit the natural rhythm of case closures.

Rush comparison

Shred-it works with scheduled rounds. If you want an extra collection in between, that is usually possible, but it requires a contract amendment or an ad-hoc service request.

We only work ad hoc. You call, we come. Within 24 to 72 hours, often faster in quiet periods. With us rush is the norm, not the exception.

Why uniformity sometimes dictates the choice

A pharmaceutical group with offices in Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London and Warsaw wants destruction in every country to happen the same way, with the same documentation, under the same audit chain. Shred-it (or a comparable international party) delivers that. We do not deliver that: we are strictly local. For that group structure, that is an honest deal-breaker.

When do you choose Shred-it?

• You are part of a multinational with cross-country uniformity requirements.
• You continuously produce confidential paper and a console fits the workflow.
• You want fixed rounds scheduled, not order each time.
• You need tight compliance documentation aligned with international audits.
• You have multiple sites in the Netherlands and want one party for all of them.

When do you choose DeSnipperaar?

• You are in Amsterdam or within 20 km of it.
• You want fixed, transparent prices rather than a quote on request.
• You do not want a contract or a subscription.
• You are a private individual or SME and want the same rate with no minimum.
• You value a certificate per job and short lines with a local party.
• You have a one-off clear-out or periodic archive round.

Honest advice

Shred-it is solid, international, standardised. That is valuable for those who need those things. We are small, local and flexible. That is valuable for those who do not want the overhead of a console and contract. Both exist for a good reason; the choice depends on your business, not on who shouts loudest in marketing.

See also our comparison mobile versus offsite shredding and the processor agreement checklist for additional context.

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Not sure the console model fits? Call us. We will work through what is logical for your volume, even if the outcome is Shred-it. Also compare with Renewi or Rhenus.