I've got about 40 lbs. of 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper (about 4 banker's boxes) that have financial information on them, that I'd like to shred, but shredding costs have gone up and the cost would be about $80.
Any home-made alternatives?
Barbecue grill and a match? A barrel and a match?
forty pounds of paper is about 8 reams, or 4,000 sheets.
Can you find a goat farm?
I've lived in multiple areas of the country and have always seen notices from local financial institutions about a free "shred day". Free is good, but I think they only offer that one day, or maybe one weekend, out of the year, so check around. Seems like it's usually a credit union, so start there. In my experience, you don't need to be their customer. Just bring your boxes and show up.
Our local TV station sponsor one every year.
Thanks, Ed. I just googled "shred day 2022 near me" and the first hit was from my local TV station. Good one.
Or he could just go to the local big box store and buy a shredder . Crosscut shredders at Walmart start at around 35 bucks ...
Burn barrel.
But don't do very well with that much to shred.
Lawn mower. Electric or gasoline. Not manual.
A lawn mower-powered document shredder? Sounds a bit Rube Goldberg to me. I'd love to see a pic when it's done. Probably easier to just remove the engine from the mower and mount it directly on the shredder.
He's my hero.
He should have not accumulated that much before buying a shredder but assume he will have more to shred he should buy a shredder. That is what my wife does.
I have heard of free shredder days in the county but hear there were long lines and waits.
He may not have that option where he lives ...
Fireplace.
I can't think of anything else that wouldn't wind up costing more than eighty bucks. Pulping it generally starts with shredding. I think tossing full sheets in a garbage can full of water would result in a soggy mess even if you crumbled each.
Trying something with a table saw sounds like a recipe for disaster and the OP probably doesn't have one either.
If the OP is retired, and time isn't money, he can buy a cross-cut shredder for <$80 and do it himself unless he's in a time-limited situation. When I had the unpleasant task of closing down my parent's house after their death, I had already retired. My father was a pack rat and had kept every state and federal income tax return he ever filed, along with all supporting data, from 1937 - 2011. Plus there were monthly banking, credit card, and other financial statements going back just as far. I had more than five 4-drawer filing cabinets stuffed with paper to safely discard/destroy. Fortunately, most of the statements and tax records had name, address, account number and/or social security number near the top. I got very adept at tearing off the identifying info on each page and shredding it. The rest of each page went into a big plastic bags I emptied into public paper recycling bins. Wouldn't want to do that again but never will have need to do so.
I shred very little myself and find most can go into the recycle bin and a lot of non confidential stuff printed on one side can be used for printing if the printed record is just for personal use.
We once had a penny pinching friend send us his family's Christmas printed letter on paper like this.
Buy a home shredder and DIY.
$25-$40 for a low-ender, $50-$75 for a reasonably capable one, $75 and up for a heavier duty one. Office/commercial models can go several hundred dollars or more.
For decades I've saved paper from mail printed on only one side and put the paper, blank side up, on a clip board. Never had to buy note pads for personal use. Any 8 1/2 x 11 paper without a fold or crease and only printed on one side gets used for casual home printing from my PC. Cuts way down on the need to buy paper for my b&w laser printer.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.