Comparison

Shredding vs incineration: which method is safest for confidential paper?

6 July 2026 · 12 min read · DeSnipperaar

Shredding vs incineration is a question that comes up regularly the moment an organisation wants to clear out confidential paper. Both make a document illegible, but they differ greatly on security, verifiability, environment and cost. For ordinary confidential paper, shredding followed by recycling into new paper is almost always the better choice. Incineration remains a niche method for a few special materials. Below you can weigh the two methods fairly side by side.

Wondering whether to have your confidential paper shredded or incinerated? Run through these questions:

• Do you want to be able to show at which level it was destroyed?
• Do you need a certificate for your GDPR file?
• Do you care that the raw material is used again?
• Do you want a fixed price without surprises?
• Is it ordinary paper or special carriers?

On almost all of these the answer points the same way. Below you read why, with the nuance on when incineration does play a role.

What is the difference between shredding and incineration?

Shredding means paper is mechanically cut into particles, so small that the text can no longer be reconstructed. The particles then go to a paper mill, where they are turned into new fibre. Incineration means the paper is burned in a plant, where it turns entirely into smoke and ash. With incineration that recovers heat, the released energy is still used for district heating or electricity. The big difference is not whether the document is gone, but how well you can show that and what happens to the raw material.

How does shredding work?

In professional destruction your paper is collected, transported sealed and shredded to a fixed DIN level. The shredder determines how fine the particles become, from strips to very small pieces. The more sensitive the data, the finer the level. After shredding, the particles are pressed into bales and sent to the paper mill. You receive a certificate of destruction with the date, quantity and level. The whole method is explained in paper shredding, how it works.

How does incineration work?

In incineration the paper is sent to an incineration plant. There it goes into the furnace together with other waste. Modern plants recover heat, so the term circular sometimes comes up. Still, incineration is rarely the method of choice for confidential paper. The paper often still lies loose or in bags before it goes into the furnace, and it is precisely in that phase that the chain is hard to safeguard. Moreover, an incineration process gives no DIN level, because there is nothing left to measure once the paper has become ash.

Security and verifiability

On security the methods differ mainly in verifiability. With shredding the result is visible and measurable: the particle size matches a DIN level, and that level is on the certificate. So you can show that a document was made illegible at the right level. With incineration the end result is complete in theory, but the route to it is less transparent. Loose paper handed off for incineration often passes through several transfer points, and at each point something can go wrong. The question is not whether fire destroys paper, but whether you can prove that it was precisely your documents that were burned and not left lying somewhere on the way. With shredding a sealed collection removes that doubt, because the paper only leaves your location at the moment it is collected and then stays within a closed stream up to the shredder. That uninterrupted line is the difference between plausible and provable.

The certificate of destruction

The biggest difference in practice is the proof. Shredding comes with a certificate of destruction stating the date, quantity and DIN level. That document goes in your GDPR file and shows at a glance, during an inspection, that you cleared out carefully. With incineration a comparable piece of evidence is far rarer. If it exists at all, it states no level. For the accountability principle under the GDPR it is precisely that verifiable proof that counts. A method that produces no measurable result also produces no strong proof.

The chain from collection to destruction

Verifiability begins at collection. With shredding the paper is taken away sealed and the chain from collection to destruction stays closed. That closed chain is called the chain of custody. There is no moment where a file lies around loose. With incineration the chain is often longer and more open. Paper sometimes goes first to a waste station, lies there in a bunker and is only burned later. The more links, the more moments at which a document could disappear. A short, closed chain is therefore safer than a long chain ending in fire.

DIN 66399 and the levels

The DIN 66399 standard sets out how finely paper must be shredded. You link the level to the sensitivity of the data.

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	ID numbers, medical and special data

Incineration knows no such scale. For an inspector, P-5 on a certificate is more concrete than the statement that something was burned. More on the levels is in DIN 66399 explained.

Environment and CO2

On the environment the difference is large. Shredded paper is recycled into new fibre, so less virgin pulp is needed. Incineration burns the fibre once and gives back only energy. Per tonne of paper, incineration emits many times more CO2 than shredding with recycling, because paper consists largely of carbon that is released on burning. The full figure comparison, including storage as a third option, is in the CO2 footprint of shredding, incineration or storage. In short: whoever looks at climate impact chooses shredding with recycling.

Recycling: what happens to paper after shredding?

After shredding, the particles are pressed and sent to a paper mill. There they are pulped and reshaped into new fibres for cardboard or paper. The data is irreversibly gone, while the raw material gets a second life. That makes shredding not only safer but also more sustainable. What exactly happens to your paper after shredding, from bale to new roll, is in what happens to paper after shredding. With incineration the paper ends as ash, with no reuse of fibre.

The cost compared

On cost incineration sometimes looks cheap, because the paper simply disappears into an existing waste stream. But once you factor in verifiability and certainty, that flips. Professional shredding has a fixed price per box or roll container, with the certificate included. So you know in advance what you pay. Incineration without proof is cheap but unsafe. Incineration with proof and a closed chain is in fact more expensive than shredding. The raw-material value of the recycled paper also lowers the price of shredding. On balance, shredding with a certificate is for ordinary paper the most favourable combination of price and certainty.

Practicality and convenience

Besides security and cost, the convenience of the approach matters. With shredding you hand over your boxes or roll containers at a fixed collection and the matter is settled. You do not have to separate anything, remove staples or open folders. We collect it sealed within 20 km of Amsterdam, with no call-out fee. Nationwide we work via pooled routes, so a collection is possible outside the region too. With incineration you often have to take the paper to a waste point yourself or fold it into a general waste stream, where you lose control over your documents. That extra effort and uncertainty weigh, for most organisations, more heavily than the small price advantage incineration seems to offer at first sight.

Shredding and incineration in a table

Point	Shredding	Incineration
Security	Measurable DIN level	No measurable level
Certificate	Included as standard	Rare, without a level
Recycling	Fibre becomes new paper	None, ends as ash
CO2 per tonne	Low, often near neutral	High, fibre is burned
Cost	Fixed price, certificate included	Cheap without proof, costly with proof

The table shows that shredding scores equal or better on every relevant point for ordinary confidential paper. Only for a number of special materials does the picture tip. It is precisely for those that incineration exists as a complement.

When does incineration make sense?

There are situations where incineration or melting is appropriate, but those rarely concern ordinary paper. Think of materials a shredder cannot process safely or in an environmentally friendly way: certain laminates, some composites, or carriers for which the manufacturer prescribes incineration. Mixed material that cannot be recycled can also end up in energy-recovery incineration. For paper, binders, files and most office streams that is not the case. There shredding is the norm, precisely because it is measurable, verifiable and recyclable. A good destruction provider can advise in such a case which route fits best, so the special materials are handled separately and the ordinary paper just goes into the shredder. That way you combine the certainty of shredding with the right handling of the small part that does not lend itself to it.

Incinerate confidential paper yourself?

Some organisations consider burning confidential paper themselves, for example in a container behind the building. That is almost never wise. It is a fire hazard and often against local rules. On top of that it is harmful to the environment through uncontrolled smoke. Moreover, it produces no proof at all. Burning it yourself therefore gives you all the disadvantages of incineration without the only advantages a professional plant would still offer. Whoever wants certainty has the paper collected and shredded with a certificate.

Disposing of shredded paper: is that allowed?

A common question is what may happen to shredded paper. With professional destruction you need not worry about that: the particles go through a closed stream straight to the paper mill, not into your own recycling on the street. If you shred loose sheets at home or in the office, you can put small amounts of particles in the recycling. Large bags of particles are better handed in bundled, because loose particles blow away and disrupt the recycling process. For genuinely confidential documents a professional collection with a certificate remains the safe route.

Common misconceptions

• Incineration is the same as recycling. No, recycling reuses the fibre, incineration burns it.
• Fire is always safer than shredding. Not if you cannot show the chain leading to it.
• A certificate belongs with incineration. With incineration proof is rare, with shredding it is standard.
• Shredded paper is waste. It is raw material for new paper.

The right choice in 4 steps

1. Determine the sensitivity of the data and the matching DIN level.
2. Choose shredding for ordinary confidential paper, with a certificate.
3. Keep incineration aside for the few special materials.
4. Keep the certificate in your GDPR file as proof.

A real-world example

Imagine an accounting firm wants to clear out a year of old client files. The first thought is to have everything incinerated, because that sounds final. On enquiry it turns out the incinerator provides no level and no usable certificate. The firm therefore chooses shredding at P-5, with sealed collection and a certificate per collection. The paper goes to the paper mill and the certificate into the GDPR file. At the next inspection the firm can show in a few minutes what happened. Safer, more verifiable and more sustainable than the original idea.

Frequently asked questions

What is safer, shredding or incineration?

For ordinary confidential paper, shredding is safer and easier to verify. You get a fixed DIN level and a certificate of destruction. Loose paper handed off somewhere for incineration is less verifiable in the chain.

Are you allowed to incinerate confidential paper?

Incinerating confidential paper yourself is almost never wise. It is hard to prove, a fire hazard and harmful to the environment. Professional destruction is almost always done by shredding, followed by recycling into new paper.

Is incineration better for the environment than shredding?

No. Shredded paper goes to the paper mill and becomes new fibre, while incineration burns the fibre once. Incineration emits many times more CO2 per tonne than shredding with recycling.

Can shredded paper go in the paper recycling?

Shredded paper from professional destruction goes through a closed stream to the paper mill, not in your own recycling on the street. For paper shredded at home you can put small amounts in the recycling, but large bags are better handed in bundled.

Does incineration produce a certificate?

Rarely, and if it exists at all it states no DIN level. Shredding produces a certificate with date, quantity and level as standard, which is stronger proof for your GDPR file.

Conclusion

Shredding vs incineration comes out clearly in favour of shredding for ordinary confidential paper. You get a measurable DIN level, a certificate as proof, a closed chain and recycling of the fibre into new paper. Incineration remains a niche method for a few special materials that cannot be recycled. For paper, files and most office streams, shredding followed by recycling is the safest, most verifiable and most sustainable choice.

See also: this article is part of our overview on destroying confidential documents. Read further on GDPR versus AVG, on preventing identity fraud and on separating confidential paper waste.

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Have confidential paper shredded? Request a quote via desnipperaar.nl or read how paper shredding works. You always receive a certificate as proof.