With increasing concerns around environmental welfare and commitment to sustainability, companies around the globe are adopting more eco-friendly activities. At the front of this revolutionary transformation is a shredder machine. This smart device performs well in different industries, and for companies to reach their goal of reducing waste, they need these devices. Shredder machines matter when it comes to reducing waste, conserving resources, and fostering the repurposing of items, which is essential for attaining broader sustainability objectives.
In this article, we tell you about how shredder machines are helping companies achieve sustainability targets.
What are shredder machines?
A shredder machine is a device used to cut material into smaller pieces. They are used in many industries and for various applications. Shredder machines handle paper and document industry materials, including plastics, metals, wood, etc. The main function of the shredder machine is to grind the big items into small sizes and consistent shapes for purposes like waste management, recycling, or data protection.
Below are different types of shredder machines;
Paper shredders: Used to cut paper documents into thin strips or small particles to protect the privacy of information and minimize waste.
Industrial shredders: Heavy-duty machines that process high quantities of materials in recycling and manufacturing plants.
Plastic shredders: Created to crush plastic products into smaller pieces for reprocessing.
Wood shredders: Designed for cutting wooden materials such as branches & pallets into wood chips/mulch.
Tire shredders: Used produce small rubber chips that can be recycled or turned into playground floors, rubber matting, rubber mulch, etc.
Metal shredders: Perfect for scraping small pieces of metal and helping in metal recycling.
Waste-to-energy shredders: Manufacture from municipal solid waste and combustible materials at waste-to-energy plants.
Hard drive shredders: Destroy electronic data storage devices to secure the data.
How do shredder machines work?
Shredders work through the use of sharp knives or cutting mechanisms to physically reduce larger masses of waste into smaller pieces that can be easily manipulated. Manual feeding is done by placing the material in the input area of the shredder machine. In contrast, an automatic feeding method gets the scrap directly from a collection bin to the shredding machine.
Materials are placed inside the shredder machine, where one or multiple sets of sharp knives will cut and smash the material into smaller particles. The resulting chips’ length and style depend on what kind of shredder you’re using and adjustments made for shredding.
In shredding, the product from the shredder enters a conveyor line to fall into bags for subsequent disposal. Shredder machines have safety features (sensors, emergency stops, interlocks) for safe operation in various industries and applications.
The benefits of using shredder machines
1. Data security and confidentiality
Companies and governments alike have implemented the practice of shredding documents with confidential or sensitive information for decades. A shredder machine reduces paper documents to irretrievable shredded slivers ensuring the unattainability of sensitive information and its inaccessibility to unauthorized personnel. As such, this safeguards organizations and consumers from data leaks and aids adherence to privacy legislation.
2. Waste reduction and recycling
Shredder machines help companies divert fewer materials headed toward landfills. They shred materials such as paper/cardboard, plastic, and metals into small parts that can be easier to recycle or re-purpose. Through shredding equipment, businesses can minimize their environmental impact, save on raw materials, and encourage a circular economy by reclaiming and re-utilizing these materials.
3. Cost savings
Regarding document management, shredding lowers the requirement to maintain costly document storage facilities and warehousing. This can lead to less demand for office space and a drop in charges relating to these resources. A shredder machine can improve the materials handling and recycling processes in industry and manufacturing, decreasing waste disposal costs and increasing resource efficiency.
4. Environmental sustainability
Shredding paper, cardboard, plastics, etc., supports waste reduction efforts, encourages recycling programs, and reduces the demand for virgin resources. Recycling shredded material uses less energy than creating new products from raw materials and reduces the release of GHG emissions. Organics, including wood, shredding yards, and tree debris, may produce compost, biofuels, and other environmentally-friendly products.
5. Versatility
Shredders can accept diverse materials and applications, an important tool across multiple sectors. Regardless of whether you need to shred papers, plastic containers, wood, steel, or electronic equipment, there’s most likely a shredder machine intended for precisely what you require.
Things to consider when choosing a shredder machine
1. Capacity
Consider the amount of raw input a shredder machine can take at once. The different shredders have varying capacities, ranging from small personal devices that can process only a few pages of paperwork through the shredding method. Personal and small office shredder machines can run from 5 to 30 sheets, while medium-sized office shredders can average 30 to 100 sheets. Industrial shredders can average 100 sheets or more.
2. Price
Usually, personal and small office shredders fall on the lower end of the spectrum, while more industrial ones can cost considerably more. Consider the long-term costs, e.g., maintenance and spare parts, as they might pile up eventually. The smartest move you can make is to select a shredder machine that will fit nicely into your price range and deliver the most bang for your buck in relation to your specific requirements. This allows you to avoid overbuying and ensures they work for what you do daily.
Personal and small office shredders usually fall in the US$50 to US$200 range, while mid-office shredders run about US$200 to US$1,000; high-capacity industrial shredders carry much larger price tags of US$1,000 to US$10,000.
3. Speed
When it comes to paper shredders, speed is measured in pages per minute (PPM), and throughput is the benchmark for industrial models. Faster shredding speeds make a difference, especially where there is much hustle and bustle with workplaces and factories where you must be quick. But what is equally important is finding the right balance between all those aspects like performance and other essential metrics such as safety and scalability.
Private and small workplace shredders typically come with 5 to 20 documents per minute PPM speeds. A medium-sized deskside shredder machine can shred 20 to 50 PPM, while commercial-grade models made for heavy-duty usage can process up to 100 sheets per minute, or even more, depending on its make and use.
4. Suitability
If you handle mostly paper, document shredders explicitly made for paper will serve you best. But, if you require more than paper shredding, specific shredders are available for materials like CDs, credit cards, and hard drives, which can effectively and safely handle this work.
If in an industrial environment, where the list of materials may be endless, look for what you will be processing more. You can find a shredder machine designed to deal with each substance effectively for metal, plastic, wood, or others. What counts is finding one that will cope with your type of materials without damaging the shredder or causing operational incompetency.
5. Portability
Do you want your shredder portable enough to move it from one place to another in the room? Look out for such models that are made easily accessible to use. Features like wheels, or a portable compact design, allow you to easily move your shredder anywhere you need it at any moment. Such flexibility is useful, especially while redesigning your working environment and working with colleagues.
Industrial shredders are usually much larger and heavier in design, so they’re often less mobile than paper shredders. They’re designed to be robust and used in a specialized place in the warehouse.
Summary
Shredder machines have become an essential piece of equipment in global company’s quest towards meeting their sustainability target. Not only do they reduce landfills, but they also improve data protection, optimize processes, and minimize costs. There is a range of shredders from which one can select according to their application requirements, like for metal scrap or paper waste. Explore Alibaba.com to find the right paper shredder machine for you.
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