On-site shredding brings our secure mobile shredding unit directly to your premises. You witness your confidential documents being destroyed – they never leave your sight until they’re reduced to confetti-sized particles. For organisations handling sensitive data, this provides the highest level of assurance.
Shredsec’s on-site shredding service is popular with law firms, medical practices, financial services and any organisation requiring documented proof of secure destruction.
On-Site vs Off-Site Shredding: Key Differences
While both services achieve secure document destruction, on-site shredding offers distinct advantages:
| Feature | On-Site Shredding | Off-Site Shredding |
|---|---|---|
| Witness destruction | ✓ Watch documents shredded | ✗ Shredded at our facility |
| Documents leave premises | ✗ Destroyed before leaving | ✓ Transported then destroyed |
| Chain of custody | Shortest possible | Secure but longer |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Space required | Truck parking needed | None |
| Time on site | 30 mins - 2 hours | 10-15 minutes |
Choose on-site shredding when:
- Your security policy requires witnessed destruction
- You handle highly sensitive personal or financial data
- Clients or regulators require proof documents never left your control
- You want maximum peace of mind
- Professional indemnity requirements specify on-site destruction
Choose off-site shredding when:
- Cost is a primary consideration
- You don’t have space for a shredding truck
- Witnessed destruction isn’t required by policy
- You’re comfortable with our secure collection and facility processes
The Witness Shredding Process
1. Arrival at Your Premises Our mobile shredding unit arrives at the scheduled time. The vehicle is GPS-tracked and our operative is uniformed, CRB-checked and carries photo ID.
2. Secure Transfer Your material is wheeled from your building to the truck. Documents remain secured throughout – never loose or exposed.
3. Witnessed Destruction The shredding takes place at your premises. You’re welcome to watch via the truck’s external monitor. Many clients designate a staff member to verify the process.
4. Verification and Certificate Once complete, we provide a Certificate of Destruction. This documents: date and time, location, weight of material destroyed, security level (DIN 3), and operative details.
5. Departure Our truck leaves with only shredded material, which goes to our recycling partner. Your confidential data has been destroyed on your premises.
Security Standards
Our on-site shredding service meets rigorous security requirements:
Shredder specification:
- DIN 66399 Level P-3 (cross-cut)
- Particle size: max 4mm x 40mm
- 1000kg per hour capacity
- Suitable for confidential and sensitive documents
Personnel:
- CRB (DBS) checked operatives
- Vetted to BS7858 standard
- Uniformed with photo ID
- Trained in data protection requirements
Process:
- BS EN 15713 compliant (Secure Destruction of Confidential Material)
- GPS-tracked vehicles
- Full audit trail
- Certificate of Destruction for every job
Learn more about shredder security levels and what they mean for your documents.
Who Uses On-Site Shredding?
Legal practices Law firms choose witness shredding for client matter files, particularly for litigation, family and criminal cases. The SRA expects firms to securely dispose of client data, and many professional indemnity policies specify on-site destruction.
Medical and healthcare Patient records contain special category data under UK GDPR. GP surgeries, dental practices, hospitals and care homes use on-site shredding to demonstrate CQC compliance.
Financial services Banks, IFAs, accountants and mortgage brokers handle regulated financial data. FCA-authorised firms often require witnessed destruction for audit purposes.
HR departments Personnel files, disciplinary records, recruitment applications – HR data requires careful handling. Witness shredding provides evidence for employment tribunal situations.
Government and public sector Local authorities, schools and public bodies handling residents’ data benefit from the assurance of on-site destruction.
On-Site Shredding Options
One-off on-site shredding For office clearouts, end-of-retention purges or relocations. We bring the truck, shred your material, and leave with a Certificate of Destruction. See our one-off shredding service.
Regular on-site collections Scheduled witness shredding on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. We supply secure bins and arrive at fixed times. See our regular shredding contracts.
Emergency on-site shredding Urgent destruction required? We can often attend same-day within our core service area.
Practical Considerations
Space requirements Our mobile shredding unit needs approximately one standard parking space. It can operate from car parks, loading bays, driveways or roadside (with appropriate permissions).
Time on site Shredding takes approximately 10-15 minutes per 100kg of paper. A typical office clearout (20-30 boxes) takes around 45 minutes.
Noise Industrial shredding equipment generates some noise. We can schedule collections for times that minimise disruption.
Weather Our trucks operate in all weather conditions. Shredding takes place inside the enclosed vehicle.
Access restrictions For locations where our standard truck can’t access, we use smaller collection vehicles and offer witnessed shredding at our secure facility by arrangement.
Service Area
On-site shredding is available throughout:
- Bury St Edmunds – Same-day availability
- Ipswich – Same-day availability
- Norwich – Next-day availability
- Cambridge – Same-day availability
- Colchester – Next-day availability
- Newmarket, Stowmarket, Sudbury
Book On-Site Shredding
Ready to arrange witness shredding at your premises?
Call: 0800 654 6507 Email: service@shredsec.com
We’ll discuss your requirements and provide a quote.
Prefer a cost-effective alternative? See our off-site shredding service – the same security standards, collected and processed at our secure facility.
Contact Shredsec to discuss your shredding requirements.