Should I Just Burn Sensitive Documents in St. Petersburg?

St. Petersburg is home to more than 18,000 commercial properties, which means many documents with sensitive information need to be destroyed regularly. It might be tempting to just burn those documents to guarantee their certain demise. However, there are some problems with that idea.

4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Burn Paper

Burning sensitive documents is not a good idea for several reasons. From being dangerous to downright illegal, there are many arguments against destroying documents by burning them. Following are some big ones:

1. Paper Burning in St. Pete Is Prohibited

Pinellas County Ordinance 58-217 states that burning paper, garbage, and other waste materials is prohibited. That pretty much closes the door on burning documents right there. However, if you need more persuasion not to burn paper, read on.

2. Burning Documents Is Messy

If you’ve ever sat at a campfire when someone used paper as kindling, you know that those lightweight paper pieces with red-hot burning edges love to fly up into the sky. Add to that a light breeze, and you will end up with burnt confetti all over the place that is a beast to clean up.

3. Firing Up Paper Is Dangerous

Paper is very lightweight, and when it burns, it becomes even lighter. It doesn’t take much for pieces to scatter in all directions during a fire. What goes up must come down, and that includes red-hot paper. All it takes to start an uncontrolled fire is one of those lit papers landing on anything flammable.

4. Burning Documents Is Bad for the Environment

When materials like paper, garbage, and plastic burn, they release toxic chemicals into the environment. In addition, residue from burning these and other items openly can run off into the soil and groundwater, contaminating people, livestock, and crops.

ShredQuick Has the Solution

When you shred documents, you’re not only safe and responsible. You’re also recycling and helping reduce waste and carbon emissions. That’s a win-win! ShredQuick will provide on-site document shredding services that are safer, cleaner, and healthier than burning.

We are AAA-certified for on-site shredding and guarantee the security of your confidential information. We’ll also hand you a certificate of destruction when we’re done.

Contact us today to learn about our bulk and scheduled shredding options and gain the peace of mind that comes with secure document disposal from ShredQuick, with no fire extinguishers required.