Shred-it helps firms comply with privacy laws.

Shred-it New York's 30 trucks a re in virtually every building in Manhattan shredding confidential documents for small and large businesses in compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act protects the privacy of consumers by having institutions such as real estate companies that are "significantly involved in financial activities" disclose annually to clients how personal and confidential information is destroyed. Violators are subject to severe civil penalties that can range up to $1 million or 1% of the total assets of the institution.

"Shred-it helps real estate companies throughout Manhattan that gather sensitive information such as credit histories bank statements and tax documents destroy these documents in a cost-effective and efficient manner," said Jeff Cohen, sales representative, Shred-it, New York.

"For as little as $100 a month, a company can shred hundreds of documents, protecting itself from severe governmental penalties freeing up valuable employee time, and reducing noise pollution in the office."

Shred-it places locked and secure consoles that hold hundreds of pounds of paper, folders and binders in offices throughout Manhattan and surrounding boros. Shred-it's bonded and insured customer service representatives pick up the contents of the bins and shred them on-site in the trucks on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. The truck's proprietary cross-cut shredders can destroy up to 1,500 pounds of paper--complete with binder clips, staples and other non-paper items--in one hour. After each shred, the company gets an invoice with a document of destruction that gives Shred-it complete legal liability for ensuring that all documents are shredded and disposed of properly.

Because Shred-it recycles all shredded paper into low-grade paper products such as tissue and paper towels, each Shred-it Invoice and document of destruction shows companies how many trees they have saved throughout the year.