Comparison of Shred-it vs Blue-Pencil vs Iron Mountain Shredding

If you’re in the process of finding a paper shredding service in Toronto for your organization’s confidential information, you may wonder how different providers like Shred-it Toronto, Blue-Pencil, and Iron Mountain stack up. With many factors to consider, it’s important to do your research when hiring a company for secure document shredding and hard drive destruction. After all, your sensitive information is one of your greatest assets, and choosing the right provider can help reduce the risk of a data breach or privacy compliance issue.

You should also think about what matters most to your organization. Do you want to support a local Canadian company versus an international corporation? Is on-site shredding important? Do you need recurring service or a one-time cleanout? What about turnaround times, additional fees, certifications and how easy it is to book your service?

Shred-it Toronto vs Blue-Pencil vs Iron Mountain Shredding: A Fair Comparison

Shred-it, Iron Mountain and Blue-Pencil are three secure document destruction service providers that you’re likely to come across in your search. All three offer professional shredding solutions, but there are differences in company ownership, available service models, pricing structures and the way your documents move through the destruction process. In this article, we provide an overview of each provider to help you determine which shredding company may be the best match for your organization.

Shred-it: An Overview

Shred-it is one of the largest document destruction providers in the world. Shred-it began as a Canadian company in Oakville, Ontario. It was later acquired by Stericycle, which was subsequently acquired by WM (Waste Management) in 2024. Today, Shred-it operates as part of WM, a U.S.-based environmental services company headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Shred-it Toronto: Service Offering

hred-it provides several document and information destruction services, including:

• Paper Shredding: Shred-it offers scheduled and one-time document shredding, with on-site and off-site options available.
• Hard Drive Destruction: Shred-it provides hard drive and media destruction services.
• Specialty Shredding: Shred-it can destroy certain proprietary or sensitive materials in addition to paper.
• Drop-off Shredding: Drop-off shredding is also available at selected locations.
• Priority Services: Express and priority service options may be available for one-time shredding requirements.

Shred-it: How It Works

Businesses can request a quote online or contact Shred-it to discuss their shredding requirements. For one-time shredding, pricing generally depends on the volume of material being destroyed and the type of service selected. One-time services can accommodate anything from small quantities to larger office cleanouts. For recurring service, secure containers can be placed throughout your workplace and serviced on a scheduled basis. Shred-it also offers priority options for urgent one-time shredding in eligible service areas.

When comparing pricing, businesses should consider the total invoiced cost rather than the initial quoted service rate alone. Shred-it publishes a Schedule of Ancillary Charges, which includes a variable Fuel Surcharge, a 4% Environmental Surcharge and a variable Recycling Recovery Surcharge. Additional charges may also apply for services such as on-demand pickups, container retrieval, office relocations and other service requirements.

Because these charges can affect the final invoice, businesses comparing Shred-it with other shredding providers should ask for the total expected cost of service, including applicable surcharges and ancillary fees.

Iron Mountain Shredding: An Overview

Iron Mountain is an American information management company headquartered in the United States. The company provides records management, document storage, secure shredding and other information lifecycle services to organizations around the world.

Its secure shredding services are available to businesses requiring both recurring and one-time document destruction.

Iron Mountain Shredding: Service Offering

Iron Mountain offers:

• On-site Shredding: Documents are destroyed at your location using a mobile shredding vehicle.
• Off-site Shredding: Documents are securely collected and transported for destruction at an Iron Mountain shredding facility.
• Bulk Paper Shredding: Available for larger cleanouts and one-time destruction projects.
• Media Destruction: Secure destruction options are available for certain non-paper media.
• Scheduled Shredding: Recurring services are available for businesses with ongoing document destruction requirements.

Iron Mountain Shredding: How It Works

Businesses can request shredding services through Iron Mountain and select either an on-site or off-site destruction method. With off-site shredding, materials are collected and transported for destruction at a secure facility. Depending on the service workflow, materials may also be securely stored at a consolidation centre before final destruction. With on-site shredding, documents are destroyed at your location using a mobile shredding unit, allowing organizations to witness the destruction process when required. A Certificate of Destruction is available following service.

In addition to the base shredding service price, Iron Mountain publishes several charges that may affect the total cost of service. These include a variable Fuel Surcharge and Paper Recycling Surcharge. Transportation services may also include Trip and Handling Charges, with additional charges potentially applying based on distance, metropolitan service areas or rush service. Iron Mountain also states that secure shredding work orders are subject to a Minimum Shredding Service Charge based on the customer’s pricing schedule.

When comparing an Iron Mountain quote with other shredding providers, businesses should therefore consider the total expected invoice, including applicable transportation charges, surcharges and minimum service requirements.

Blue-Pencil Shredding: An Overview

Blue-Pencil is a privately held, Canadian-owned information security company based in the Greater Toronto Area. Blue-Pencil has been providing secure information management and shredding services across Toronto and Southern Ontario since 2004 and has provided shredding services to more than 20,000 organizations.

As a NAID AAA Certified company, Blue-Pencil provides secure document destruction for confidential information across a wide range of industries, including government, healthcare, professional services and manufacturing. Blue-Pencil is also Privacy+ Certified.

Blue-Pencil: Service Offering

Blue-Pencil specializes in secure on-site document destruction for business shredding, meaning documents are destroyed at your location rather than being transported elsewhere before destruction.

• Office Shredding Program: Blue-Pencil’s regular shredding service destroys sensitive information at your location on an ongoing, predetermined schedule using a mobile shredding truck.
• One-time Shredding Service: Blue-Pencil provides secure on-site destruction for boxes of unwanted business documents, office cleanouts and larger shredding projects.
• Hard Drive Destruction: Blue-Pencil provides secure destruction of hard drives and other electronic media to help ensure confidential information cannot be recovered.
• Product Destruction Services: Blue-Pencil provides specialty destruction for recalled products, damaged goods, branded products and other sensitive materials requiring secure disposal.
• Residential and Drop-off Shredding Services: Blue-Pencil’s residential shredding service provides an on-site document destruction option for personal documents. Drop-off shredding services are also available.

Blue-Pencil: How It Works

When you contact Blue-Pencil, a local representative discusses your information security requirements, provides pricing and can schedule your service. Blue-Pencil’s business shredding services are completed on-site in a mobile shredding truck, so confidential documents are destroyed before the truck leaves your location. For recurring office shredding programs, locked security consoles can be placed throughout your workplace. A trained security representative collects the contents and takes them directly to the mobile shredding truck for destruction. For a one-time cleanout, boxes and other records can be collected from your office and taken directly to the mobile shredding truck.

Once shredding is complete, your organization receives a Certificate of Destruction, and the shredded paper is sent for recycling.

Blue-Pencil’s business shredding services are completed on-site in a mobile shredding truck, so confidential documents are destroyed at your location before the truck leaves. This reduces the number of steps between collection and destruction and allows customers to know exactly where their confidential documents are being destroyed.

Once shredding is complete, your organization receives a Certificate of Destruction, and the shredded paper is securely recycled.

Blue-Pencil also publishes its fees and surcharge methodology online, including its Fuel Recovery Fee and Recycling Recovery Surcharge. This gives customers visibility into additional charges and how they are calculated before comparing the total cost of service.

Shred-it vs Iron Mountain vs Blue-Pencil: A Side-by-side Comparison

Which Shredding Company Is Right for Your Business?

Shred-it, Iron Mountain and Blue-Pencil all provide professional document destruction services, but the experience and service model can be quite different.

• Shred-it may appeal to organizations looking for a very large international provider with both on-site and off-site shredding options. Although Shred-it was founded in Oakville, Ontario, it is now part of U.S.-based WM.
• Iron Mountain may make sense for organizations already using Iron Mountain for records management, document storage or other information management services and wanting to consolidate those services with one global provider.
• Blue-Pencil is designed for organizations that want the security and accountability of on-site destruction combined with the responsiveness of a local Canadian provider. Business documents are destroyed at your location, customers receive a Certificate of Destruction, and Blue-Pencil’s service is backed by NAID AAA and Privacy+ certifications.

Depending on location and availability, Blue-Pencil may also be able to complete service within one business day, making it an attractive option for GTA businesses that need confidential records destroyed quickly.

For Toronto and GTA organizations that place a high value on local service, on-site destruction, transparent fees and Canadian ownership, Blue-Pencil provides a compelling alternative to the two large U.S.-owned providers.

Regardless of the provider you choose, consider asking about:

• NAID AAA Certification
• Whether shredding takes place on-site or off-site
• Chain of custody
• Employee screening and training
• Certificates of Destruction
• Additional fees or surcharges
• Service turnaround times
• Recycling practices
• How quickly your documents are destroyed after collection

Our guide to 10 questions to ask a shredding company provides a more detailed checklist.

Start Protecting Your Business Today With Blue-Pencil!

To learn more about Blue-Pencil’s NAID AAA Certified North American shred services or to discuss your information security needs, contact our customer service team at 1-877-821-9611 or click here for a free quote.

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Sources:

1. Shred-it Fees & Ancillary Charges
2. Iron Mountain Canada Fuel Surcharge
   
3. Iron Mountain Canada Paper Recycling Surcharge
   
4. Iron Mountain Canada Transportation Charges
   
5. Iron Mountain Canada Secure Shredding Glossary
   
6. Iron Mountain Secure Shredding Information
   
7. Blue-Pencil Fees & Surcharges