Practice

Having documents destroyed: how it works and what it costs

27 June 2026 · 9 min read · DeSnipperaar

Having documents destroyed means a certified company collects your paper, shreds it confidentially to the right DIN level and gives you a certificate of destruction. For businesses and private individuals that is faster and safer than shredding yourself, from 30 euro per box and without a contract.

It sounds simple, and it is. Yet many business owners and private individuals carry on too long with a full archive cabinet, because they do not know exactly how it works, what they can hand over and what to look for when choosing a company. This guide walks you through it step by step, from what you can have destroyed to the certificate you hold afterwards.

When do people have documents destroyed?

The trigger differs per situation, but a few moments come up again and again. If you recognise one, it is usually the right time to clear out your archive.

• Year-end. At the end of the financial year, everything past its retention period can go. A fixed annual destruction moment keeps your archive manageable.
• Office move. Taking fewer boxes saves moving costs, storage space and GDPR risk at the new location.
• End of employment. Personnel files whose legal period has passed should be destroyed, not kept just in case.
• Closure or bankruptcy. Client and personnel files do not simply go in the bin, even when a business stops.
• Estate. A deceased person's administration holds sensitive data such as social security and bank details that must be destroyed carefully.

In all those cases the route is the same. You give the volume, we collect, destroy to the right level and you keep a certificate as proof. Whether it is a single box or a whole archive room, the procedure stays the same.

What can you have destroyed?

A destruction company handles far more than loose sheets. In one collection you can include:

• Paper archive, folders and files, including the binders, tabs and sleeves.
• Confidential post and correspondence, from quotes to letters with personal data.
• Personnel and client files with payroll data, social security numbers and ID copies.
• Data carriers such as hard drives, SSDs and USB sticks, see data destruction.
• Branded material such as passes, business cards, print and rejected products.

You do not have to unpack anything. Folders, staples, paperclips and plastic sleeves can go straight in. An industrial shredder handles that without preparation, something an office shredder cannot.

Why have it destroyed instead of yourself?

Shredding yourself is fine for a few sheets a week. But as soon as it is boxes at a time, you run into three things.

• Time. An office shredder is slow and jams at volume. An afternoon of shredding is gone in no time, while a collection is arranged in a few minutes.
• Security level. Cheap devices do not reach DIN 66399 P-5, the level for special personal data such as medical files and social security numbers.
• Proof. Without a certificate you cannot show in a GDPR inspection that you destroyed carefully. Keeping a log is cumbersome and error-prone.

The full cost trade-off between doing it yourself and outsourcing is in document destruction: outsource or do it yourself. Want the general rules around destruction first? Read destroying confidential documents.

What the GDPR requires of destruction

Destroying is not only practical, it is often an obligation too. Article 5 of the GDPR requires storage limitation, you do not keep personal data longer than needed for the purpose you collected it for. Article 32 requires appropriate measures to protect that data. That duty runs until a document is destroyed beyond legibility. Throwing it out unshredded therefore counts as a data breach.

If that happens with sensitive documents, you report a serious data breach within 72 hours to the data protection authority. For businesses and private individuals the practical conclusion is the same, destroy whatever holds personal data carefully and the whole scenario never arises.

What to look for in a destruction company

Not every provider offers the same guarantees. Four points separate a reliable party from the rest.

• The right DIN level. Ask explicitly whether destruction is to P-4 or P-5, and have that stated on the certificate.
• A certificate of destruction. After every job you should receive proof with the date, quantity and level.
• A processing agreement. You engage a processor, so that agreement should be signed before the first box is handed over.
• Our own transport. For sensitive documents the material goes to the destruction site in a roll container or box.

Which DIN level do you need?

How finely paper must be shredded is set out by the DIN 66399 standard in levels. Always ask your destruction company which level they work to.

Level	Particle size	Suitable for
P-2	Strips	General print without data
P-4	Small particles	Files, invoices, correspondence
P-5	Very small particles	Social security numbers, medical and special data

For ordinary office documents P-4 is the workable minimum. If the documents contain a social security number, medical data or ID copies, P-5 is indicated. A cheap office shredder rarely reaches that high level, professional destruction does.

How does a job work?

1. Request. You indicate how many boxes or roll containers you have and whether there are data carriers. You get a fixed price, no after-the-fact billing.
2. Planning. You agree a collection date and time window. You or a colleague is present.
3. Collection. We collect the material at your location.
4. Destruction. Your paper is destroyed confidentially to the agreed DIN level and then recycled.
5. Certificate. Within a few working days you receive the certificate of destruction.

The detailed procedure and a price guide per box are in one-off archive destruction.

What does it cost?

You pay a fixed price per box or roll container, known in advance. From 30 euro for the first box, and for larger volumes a roll container becomes cheaper. Within 20 km of Amsterdam we charge no call-out fee. The full pricing with worked examples is in what does archive destruction cost.

How much paper do you have? A quick estimate

You do not have to count every folder to get a price. A rough estimate is enough. A standard archive box holds about 15 kg of paper, a full folder about 1 kg. An average archive cabinet with five shelves quickly comes to ten to fifteen boxes. In doubt, give a range, for example between eight and twelve boxes. On that basis you get a fixed price and decide on the spot whether an extra box goes along. A generous estimate is no problem, you pay for what is actually collected.

Digital too: don't forget the data carriers

A clear-out rarely stops at paper. In the same cabinet there are often old hard drives, USB sticks or a phased-out laptop. Deleting a file does not fully erase the data and on an SSD software wiping is unreliable due to wear-levelling. For certainty, physical destruction of the carrier is needed. The practical advantage is that you can hand over paper and data carriers in the same collection, each destroyed to its own level, with serial numbers on the certificate. So everything is arranged in one go, without separate appointments or extra trips.

The proof: certificate of destruction

After every job you receive a certificate of destruction with the date, quantity and the DIN level applied. That document is your proof towards the data protection authority, an auditor or a client. Keep it for at least 5 years in your GDPR file. For data carriers the serial numbers are on the certificate too, which is often required for a lease return or IT audit.

Periodic or one-off collection?

Do you have a one-off clear-out, for example during a move or after a year-end? Then a one-off collection is enough. Do you produce confidential paper continuously, then a fixed frequency is handier. You then place a roll container emptied periodically, for example each quarter or at every year-end. That way your archive stays manageable by itself and you never have to empty a whole cabinet in one go. The trade-off between incidental and structural depends mainly on how fast your paper piles up.

For businesses and private individuals

Having it destroyed is not only for large organisations. A sole trader with a few boxes of old invoices, an association clearing out the clubhouse or a private individual settling an estate can all go the same way. The rates are the same for everyone and you pay per box or roll container, known in advance. Whether it is a single box or a whole archive room, the procedure stays the same, collection, destruction to the right level and a certificate as proof.

For private individuals there is no legal retention obligation, but sensitive documents such as bank statements and letters with a social security number should be destroyed confidentially just as much. For businesses it is often part of the GDPR obligations. In both cases having it collected is the easiest way to be sure nothing ends up legible on the street.

Practical tips

• Separate keep from destroy before you start, then clearing out goes faster.
• Leave folders and staples in, an industrial shredder handles it without preparation.
• Hand over data carriers in the same collection as the paper.
• Ask the DIN level and have it stated on the certificate.
• Keep the certificate for at least five years in your GDPR file.

What if it goes wrong? Preventing a data breach

Most data breaches are not hacks but slips. A box of old files that ends up with the waste paper, a folder found on the street, a container standing open outside for days. In all those cases someone can take personal data, with identity fraud as the risk. If you have it destroyed, that chance disappears, because the material goes along with us and is demonstrably destroyed. The certificate is your proof that everything was handled carefully. A neighbour finding your old files then never has to become a scenario.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long. An overflowing archive cabinet is needless, and keeping documents too long is itself a GDPR breach.
• Throwing it out unshredded. With the waste paper, that is a data breach, however small the pile.
• Not signing a processing agreement. Without that agreement you are in breach yourself.
• Only thinking of paper. Old hard drives and USB sticks hold sensitive data just as much.

Frequently asked questions

From how much is having it destroyed worthwhile?

From about one full box, having it collected is faster and cheaper than shredding yourself, especially if you want a certificate straight away.

Does it apply to private individuals too?

Yes. Private individuals pay the same rates as businesses, see archive destruction for individuals.

Can I have paper and data carriers destroyed together?

Yes. Both come along in the same collection and are each destroyed to their own level, with serial numbers on the certificate.

Do I have to remove folders and staples?

No. Folders, ring binders, staples, paperclips and plastic sleeves can go straight in. An industrial shredder handles it without preparation.

Which DIN level do I need?

At least DIN 66399 P-4 for ordinary office documents, and P-5 for special personal data such as social security numbers, medical data and ID copies.

How do I know a company is reliable?

Look for a certificate of destruction, a processing agreement, the DIN level applied and our own transport. A reliable party records all of that.

Which DIN level do I need?

For ordinary office documents DIN 66399 P-4 is the workable minimum. For social security numbers, medical data and ID copies P-5 is indicated.

Is throwing it out unshredded a data breach?

Yes. Throwing out documents with personal data unshredded is a data breach you must report within 72 hours if there is a risk. Confidential destruction prevents that.

Conclusion

Having documents destroyed is the fastest and safest route for SMEs and private individuals. You save time, reach the right security level and keep a certificate as proof. When choosing a company, look at the DIN level, the certificate, the processing agreement and our own transport. From one full box, outsourcing is almost always handier than shredding yourself. With the right party, the right DIN level and a certificate you also have it demonstrably well arranged.

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Ready to have your documents destroyed? Request a quote via desnipperaar.nl or compare our paper shredding rates. Within 5 minutes you have a fixed price.