http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x6662Oh my.
This is from July 2008, but the defrocked warped primitive just re-lit the campfire today.
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-17-08 10:15 PM
THE SPARKLING HUSBAND PRIMITIVE, #02 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2010
Original message
How do you recycle paper with personal data on it?
How do you recycle your bills? Your bank statements. That sort of thing.
I have a few choices. I can take it to the dump and place it into the paper recycling bin. I can leave it curbside for the weekly recycling collection. I can save it in boxes in my basement. I can treat it as garbage and simply throw it away.
So far, I tend to save it in boxes in the basement. A few years ago we brought records going back to before Moby Dick was a minnow to the recycling station at the dump. We currently have records back to 1998 .... in boxes in the basement. Most of the records are still current in terms of account numbers, etc.
What do you do with this kind of crap?
One suspects the sparkling husband primitive wants to shred more than just his personal data.
After all, being a
caporegime, one collects all kinds of things.
ccinamon (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-17-08 10:33 PM
Response to Original message
1. I used to burn it in the fireplace...the fumes of the carbonless checks would get pretty bad!! Now I shred it (cross-cut shredder) and toss in the recycling bin.
yy4me (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 06:36 AM
Response to Original message
2. We have a store not far from us that will allow you to buy their shredding service. They give you a bin to fill with the material to be shredded and -in front of you, place the material in huge shredders for destruction. I'm not sure what or how they charge you but it is worth whatever it costs. We went through the -burn in the fireplace- routine a few years ago and it was a very time consuming job. piles of old checks and stuff like that took forever. We had pulled out all the records of no value regarding identity theft and put that in with the stinky -to the dump stuff. I have to do the job sometime soon with records from about 1990 that sit by year in a carton in the attic. I will use the shredding service.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 07:26 AM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
3. Anything with the SSN or a bank number on it plus all come ons for loans and credit cards go right into the shredder.
I used to rip them and put the pieces into different trash receptacles before I got the shredder.
Phentex (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-28-10 07:16 AM
Response to Reply #3
21. I have torn them and then cleaned out the refrigerator and dumped in stuff on top to make the whole thing a nasty mess. But I try not to let things go bad in the fridge AND I try to shred before I get desperate.
AlCzervik (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 12:48 PM
Response to Original message
4. shredder, once a year i shred the bank statments and every 3 months i shred the credit card statements. I do this every few months so i can do it at home so i can take care of it myself instead of using a service.
Wash. state Desk Jet (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 01:13 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. Sure shredder
And it's clean recycle material.
Once you buy one,you will develop a systematic way about doing it! And I'll tell you something else, junk mail actually serves a purpose when it goes into the mix! Maybe that's why one will have such a good feeling about the clean shredded recyclables ,yep, junk mail serves a purpose!
Straight into the shredder, mix right in with all that, by by junk mail!
In you go! Such joy!
AlCzervik (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 01:27 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. i also use the shredding material for packaging instead of packing peanuts that stuff is great when you send something as i do all the way to the east coast.
Wash. state Desk Jet (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 09:12 PM
Response to Reply #6
11. Thats creative thinking ~!
So noted! Now I don't have to save bubble wrap! Excellent idea.
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 04:46 PM
THE SPARKLING HUSBAND PRIMITIVE, #02 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2010
Response to Reply #4
7. How dumb am I?
We have **two** shredders. One we bought and one from my Mom's house when we cleaned that out. For whatever reason, we don't shred the bills as they get paid. Or the bank statements. Or anything else. Until the sheer volume of it is overwhelming (as it is now). I was hoping, in this post, to hear some magic thing that someone else does to make the whole mess go away.
Maybe I can coerce SparklyJr into doing it for $25 for each year's records ............
AlCzervik (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 04:48 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. that's really the key to the shredder, you need to break it down into manageable piles of paper and then go at it, my daughter loves to shred stuff so i hand it over to her and she has a grand old time and again the shreds make great packaging material.
NMDemDist2 (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 08:11 PM
Response to Reply #7
10. or there are professional shredding companies. they charge so much per pound
check your yellow pages.
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 11:45 PM
THE SPARKLING HUSBAND PRIMITIVE, #02 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2010
Response to Reply #10
12. The only ones in my area are the mobile type
I imagine (don't know for sure) they charge a lot extra for the convenience. Plus, I don't wanna put a big truck on the road just cuz I'm too lazy to shred them myself. Kinda the same reason we **never** order pizza delivery.
sandnsea (1000+ posts) Sat Jul-19-08 02:44 AM
Response to Reply #7
13. Then use the shredded paper for packing
I received some breakable or other packed in shredded paper. Amazing. It worked every bit as good as peanuts. A shredder is on my list for that exact purpose.
yy4me (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-18-08 08:07 PM
Response to Original message
9. Meant to mention to you, if you get a shredder, they do heat up and burn out or the cutting wheels jam. I never knew that you were supposed to use oil or oil impregnated sheets every so often in a shredder. Ours has really bent out of shape middle 3 cutters because it got hot and jammed the paper, causing the wheels to bend. Now I have to manually dig out the jammed paper. A new one isn't in the budget now so I use this as it is. I know it will give up one of these days.
There were no instructions with this machine when we bought it that mentioned oiling. It is a Sentinel model and does a great job...at least it did.
I now know that you can get the oil papers at Staples or buy a fine oil and draw a fairly heavy line across a sheet of paper and feed it through. This is from the clerk at Staples.
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Sat Jul-19-08 06:24 PM
THE SPARKLING HUSBAND PRIMITIVE, #02 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2010
Response to Reply #9
14. I just drizzle a light oil into the cutting slot and then feed paper to 'dry' it off.
That seems to work okay.
Phentex (1000+ posts) Sat Jul-19-08 06:55 PM
Response to Original message
15. I shred and then recycle. We have to separate it for pick up...
It has to be tied so as not to mix with the other stuff. It's amazing how much will cram into one bag! I also learned to do a little at a time or the shredder would just stop itself from burning out.
eleny (1000+ posts) Sat Jul-19-08 11:33 PM
Response to Original message
16. We recently opted for online statements where available
The info was available online all the time anyway. Now we have several less pieces of paper to deal with.
Meantime, anything personal gets shredded (and goes to the charitable recycle bin). Looks like you have that one covered.
trud (473 posts) Fri Apr-01-11 12:00 PM
Response to Reply #16
25. careful of online statements
Some places only keep them available for 1-2 years, so anything you need permanently, copy to your pc and backup.
dropkickpa (1000+ posts) Sat Aug-09-08 11:04 PM
Response to Original message
17. Shred it then use as guinea pig bedding
anyone who digs through chewed up urine soaked scraps is welcome to my awful credit.
japple (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-11-08 12:00 PM
Response to Original message
18. Usually burn it in the back yard, however this area has been in a drought situation for the past 2-3 years and a burning ban is in effect. So, I've been saving extra sensitive stuff (bank & credit card statements, etc.) to burn whenever the ban is lifted. Other, less sensitive stuff gets ripped up and thrown in the garbage into which I always make sure to put a couple dumpings from my cat litter box and some raw chicken skin. I don't think anyone could get past that smell.
morningglory (1000+ posts) Sun Sep-26-10 12:57 PM
Response to Original message
19. Makes good compost.
Kolesar (1000+ posts) Sat Apr-02-11 01:43 PM
Response to Reply #19
27. Yes, a high carbon material to balance the high nitrogen food scraps and coffee grounds
And is soaks up the liquids in our compost pail.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Sun Sep-26-10 08:19 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
20. Packing material when I mail Xmas presents
Other than that, it goes into a bag for recycling.
On edit: shredded, of course.
Paper Roses (1000+ posts) Wed Sep-29-10 09:21 AM
THE CHRONICALLY HELPLESS PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
22. Our local 'Council on Aging' has a special day for shredding.
If you have this organization(or any other Senior organization) in your town, I'd call and ask if they offer this service. I have not used them but I know here the service is free.
I burned out the motor of our home shredder trying to chew up some old papers. Used the fireplace after that disaster. It was time consuming but did the job. I went through the stuff first to make sure it wasn't really a candidate for shredding. Burned just the important stuff.
hippywife (1000+ posts) Mon Oct-04-10 08:37 PM
MRS. ALFRED PACKER
Response to Original message
23. Using this stuff as packing material is not a good idea.
These kinds of documents should be put through a cross cut shredder that shreds them into tiny pieces rather than long strips. The long strips are still too easy for someone to match up and put together.
trud (473 posts) Fri Apr-01-11 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #23
26. piutting shredded stuff together
I have passwords on all my financial accounts that let you do that. So even the numbers and name will not get anyone access to those.
trud (473 posts) Fri Apr-01-11 11:57 AM
Response to Original message
24. $25 shredder from Staples.
I keep it next to where I process mail. Anything that is sensitive goes into the shredder, no having it pile up for months. Then when the shredder basket is full, I just dump it into the paper curbside recycling bin.
Here's a trick for fixing a jammed shredder. Pour a small amount of water into the paper input area. Wait a half hour or so, and the machine should be able to handle the softened paper.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Sun Apr-03-11 06:36 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
29. My daily service bank has changed owners four times since I've been here, so I've sent all the old stuff with old bank names to the dump. People would have to know the "begats" of the bank branch I go to in order to figure out what bank the account number belongs to and most thieves just aint that smart.
My shredder gets the ID data at the top of old tax returns. The dump gets records from defunct brokerage accounts. My shredder gets current checkbook deposit slips. My account number isn't on the check carbons, so they go to the dump.
I'm trying to restrict my records to 5 years. So far, I've pared it down to 6.
I dunno; the primitives sure are paranoid.
franksolich bought a paper-shredder three years ago, used it a couple of times, and then went back to just throwing things into the trash. Quicker, easier, cleaner.
Of course, this is said with the usual
caveat; what works for franksolich doesn't necessarily work for other people (and vice-versa), so best to use one's own good judgement rather than emulating franksolich.
