We have a small, personal paper shredder in the house, similar to this one.

But if you have a lot of paper that piles up, these little units aren't really the right tool.

We found a wonderful alternative, and maybe it's one you can use to your benefit too, depending on the resources in your geographic location.

We hired a professional shredding service to come to the house and shred 5 large boxes of paper.  This could easily have taken us more than a couple of days - if our personal shredder didn't burn out.

Confidential Data Disposal came to our house at the appointed time. James Santerelli, a guy as friendly as you would want, came up to the house with a bin-on-wheels. He emptied our boxes of paper into the bin, wheeled it back to his truck. He invited me to watch (I would have asked anyway, see below), and within 10 minutes all the paper was shredded, ready to be recycled. He was on his way, and we got back to more important things.

What we needed - and received

We needed someone with a good reputation. To find a good vendor, we use Angie's List. I can't say enough about the value that they provide.

I entered a query on paper shredding, and a number of them came up. The first one was Confidential Data Disposal. I looked at the reviews. The price was right; and this was critically important to us: the service was done at our house, where I could watch.  If you're shredding confidential or sensitive information, it is important to know for a fact that it has indeed been shredded.

PRO: fast, simple, relatively inexpensive, clean, and no effort needed.

CON: None

Result: Highly recommended

Relevant Services:
Angie's List - for locating the services you need.
Confidential Data Disposal - based in Issaquah, WA, James services the Puget Sound area. I highly recommend his service.