“Most people don’t realise home shredding creates waste,” said Send and Shred CEO, Jo Clay.
“If you put shredded paper in your household recycling bin, it goes to landfill. That’s because the Materials Recovery Facility can’t process shredded paper. They call it ‘dreaded paper’. It tangles up their equipment and ends up as contamination.
“This is a terrible waste of trees. It also wrecks the climate. Paper in landfill breaks down and generates the greenhouse gas, methane.
“The shredders are also a problem. When they break, they become Ewaste. We estimate 1.5 million shredders are sent to Australian landfills each year.”
Co-founders Jo Clay and Graham Mannall both come from the recycling sector. They were horrified to learn about the home shredder problem and came up with a solution. They took it to local recycling network, The Green Shed, and launched Send and Shred.
Two years later, Send and Shredis a local success story. They’ve won an ICON grant, an iAward and a lot of happy customers. They also donate 50c from each bag to the RSPCA.
“Our service works because it’s so simple,” Jo said. “Buy online. We deliver. Fill your bag with paperwork and lodge in any post office. We shred and recycle it. You can track it and download a destruction certificate.”
2020 has been a tough year for business. How has Send and Shred coped with COVID?
“As an Ecommerce business, we’ve fared better than most,’ Jo said. “We kept the team on and launched a new website. We also found a new customer base. People are spending more time at home and want to clean up. Big companies who sent staff home scrambled to find secure shredding for the suburbs.
“I’m delighted that our eco-service suits so many,” Jo said. “This is what a circular economy looks like.”
To get 25% off order at sendandshred.com.au and enter discount code CANBERRAWEEKLY at checkout. This a special offer for Canberra Daily readers is running for a limited time only.
This article was created in partnership with Send and Shred. For more information on sponsored partnerships, click here.
