Practice

Paper shredding: how it works, what it costs and the certificate

30 June 2026 · 11 min read · DeSnipperaar

Having paper shredded means a certified company collects your paper and destroys it confidentially to the right DIN level, with a certificate as proof. For businesses and private individuals that is faster and safer than shredding yourself, from 30 euro per box and without a contract.

An overflowing archive cabinet, a stack of old files after a move, boxes of records whose retention period has passed. At some point you want rid of it, but you cannot simply put it out with the waste paper. Paper with personal data should be destroyed confidentially. Shredding it yourself with an office device costs hours and often does not reach the right level. Having paper shredded by a specialised company solves that in one go. This article explains exactly how it works, what you can hand over, which DIN level you need, what it costs and what proof you hold afterwards.

Why have paper shredded?

The three reasons that make it almost always worthwhile are time, security and proof. An office shredder is slow and jams at volume, while a collection is arranged in a few minutes. A cheap device rarely reaches the high level that fits sensitive data. And without a certificate you cannot show in an inspection that you destroyed carefully. A specialised company solves all three at once.

Who is paper shredding for?

Really for anyone who has confidential paper and wants to be rid of it safely. An SME cleaning up its accounts, a practice with old patient files, an association clearing out the clubhouse or a private individual settling an estate can all go the same way. The procedure stays the same, collection, destruction to the right level and a certificate as proof. Whether it is a single box or a whole archive room makes no difference to the approach.

What can you have shredded?

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.
• Financial records whose tax retention period has passed.
• Branded material such as passes, business cards and rejected print.

You do not have to unpack anything. Folders, staples, paperclips and plastic sleeves can go straight in, because an industrial shredder handles that without preparation. The general rules around confidential destruction are in destroying confidential documents.

Which paper does not belong with the waste paper?

Not everything that is paper may simply go in the recycling bin. Anything with personal data or commercially sensitive information should be destroyed confidentially. Think of documents with a name, address, phone number, ID number, signature or bank details. But quotes, contracts, complaint letters and internal notes can be sensitive too. The rule of thumb is simple, if you are in doubt whether a document is sensitive, treat it as if it is. Advertising leaflets and empty envelopes without data can go with the waste paper, the rest cannot.

How does it work?

1. Request. You indicate how many boxes or roll containers you have. 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 paper at your location, sealed for sensitive documents.
4. Destruction. The paper is shredded to the agreed DIN level and then recycled.
5. Certificate. Within a few working days you receive the certificate of destruction.

Which DIN level do you need?

How finely paper must be shredded is set out by the DIN 66399 standard in security levels. The more sensitive the data, the smaller the particles must be.

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

For ordinary office documents P-4 is the workable minimum. For special personal data such as medical files and social security numbers P-5 is indicated. A cheap strip-cut shredder reaches neither level reliably, professional destruction does.

What the GDPR requires

Destroying is often not only practical but an obligation. Article 5 of the GDPR requires storage limitation, you do not keep personal data longer than needed. Article 32 requires appropriate measures to protect that data. That duty runs until a document is destroyed beyond legibility. Throwing it out unshredded is therefore a data breach. A serious data breach you report within 72 hours to the data protection authority. How this works out for SMEs is in GDPR requirements for SMEs.

What does paper shredding cost?

You pay a fixed price per box or roll container, known in advance and with no surprises afterwards. The first box costs about 30 euro, and for larger volumes a roll container by weight 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. In doubt about the quantity? A rough estimate is enough, you pay for what is actually collected.

Shred yourself or have it done?

A few sheets a week you shred yourself fine. But as soon as it is boxes at a time, the trade-off tips. An office device is slow, jams and reaches no high DIN level. Having it collected is then faster, safer and produces a certificate. The detailed comparison is in having documents destroyed. For most organisations, having it shredded from one full box is almost always the handiest choice.

Collection, no drop-off

At DeSnipperaar everything revolves around collection. We come to your location, whether that is an office, a practice or a home address, to take the paper away for destruction. You do not have to transport or drop off anything yourself, which saves time and risk. For sensitive documents the material goes along sealed, so no one can get at it on the way.

Periodic or one-off shredding?

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, without a contract. Do you produce confidential paper continuously, then a fixed frequency is handier. You then place a locked bin at the office that is emptied periodically, for example monthly or quarterly. 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.

Data carriers too? Paper and digital in one go

A clear-out rarely stops at paper. In the same cabinet there are often old hard drives, USB sticks or a phased-out laptop with years of data. Deleting a file does not really erase that data and on an SSD software wiping is unreliable. 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 the serial numbers on the certificate. So everything is arranged in one go, without separate appointments. Read more in data destruction.

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 container standing open on the street for days, a folder that is found. In all those cases someone can take personal data, with identity fraud as the risk. If you have it shredded, that chance disappears, because the material goes along sealed and is demonstrably destroyed. The certificate is your proof that everything was handled carefully.

For private individuals too

Paper shredding is not only for businesses. Private individuals pay the same rates and can have their personal archive collected and destroyed the same way. That is especially handy for a big clear-out, for example after a move, a renovation or emptying the home of a deceased person. It is precisely those old papers that often hold sensitive data such as bank statements, tax documents and letters with an ID number. Instead of putting everything with the waste paper, you have it destroyed confidentially in one go, with a certificate as proof.

How fast can paper be collected?

For an ordinary clear-out you plan a collection that suits you, often within a few working days. In a hurry, for example because an office space must be emptied quickly or because an inspection suddenly calls for proof of destruction, a faster collection is possible. You tell us what there is and when it must go. You then get a time window back. For most organisations a planned collection is enough, but it is good to know it can also be done urgently if the situation calls for it.

What happens to the paper after shredding?

Shredded paper is not lost, it gets a second life. After destruction the particles go to a paper mill, where they are pulped into new paper fibres. So your old records become raw material for new paper, without anything legible remaining. Confidential destruction and sustainability therefore go together well. You clear out safely and at the same time contribute to the paper cycle, which for many organisations is also a point in the sustainability report.

Shredding or destroying, is there a difference?

In practice the words are used interchangeably, but there is a nuance. Shredding refers to reducing paper to particles. Destroying is the broader term, making information irreversibly illegible, whether it is on paper or on a data carrier. For paper it comes to the same thing, as long as it happens to the right DIN level so reconstruction is impossible. If you have it professionally shredded, both are satisfied. The certificate records the level at which it was done.

Practical tips

• Separate keep from destroy before you plan the collection, then it goes faster.
• Leave folders and staples in, they can simply come along.
• Hand over data carriers such as old USB sticks and hard drives in the same collection.
• Ask the DIN level and have it stated on the certificate.
• Keep the certificate for at least five years in your GDPR file.

The proof: certificate of destruction

After every collection 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 asking what happened to their data. Keep it for at least 5 years in your GDPR file.

A real-world example

Imagine an accounting firm closes the financial year and wants to clear out the documents from seven years ago. That is fifteen boxes of client files with names, amounts and ID numbers. Shredding it yourself would take a whole week and the office device reaches no P-5. Instead the firm gives the quantity, plans a collection and is done in a few minutes. The boxes are destroyed to P-5 and the firm receives a certificate that goes neatly into the GDPR file. A week of work becomes a short appointment.

Common mistakes

• Putting paper with the waste paper. With personal data that is a data breach, however small the pile.
• Waiting too long. An overflowing cabinet is needless and keeping too long is itself a GDPR breach.
• Choosing too low a level. For ID numbers and medical data P-5 is needed, not P-2.
• Keeping no proof. Without a certificate you are empty-handed in an inspection.

Frequently asked questions

What does having paper shredded cost?

You pay a fixed price per box or roll container, from about 30 euro for the first box. For larger volumes a roll container becomes cheaper. Within 20 km of Amsterdam we charge no call-out fee.

Do I have to remove staples and folders?

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

Do I get proof of destruction?

Yes. After every collection you receive a certificate of destruction with the date, quantity and the DIN level applied for your GDPR file.

From how much paper is having it shredded worthwhile?

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

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.

Can I also have it shredded one-off without a contract?

Yes. A one-off collection is always possible, without a subscription. See one-off archive destruction for the procedure.

Conclusion

Having paper shredded is the fastest and safest way for SMEs and private individuals to get rid of confidential paper. You save time, reach the right security level and keep a certificate as proof. Estimate your volume, request a fixed price and have it collected, to the right DIN level and with a certificate. From one full box that is almost always handier than shredding yourself, without it costing you a whole day.

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Ready to have your paper shredded? Request a quote via desnipperaar.nl or see the options at paper shredding. Within 5 minutes you have a fixed price.