One Large Step in the Green Direction

November 29, 2019 at 4:17 pm by SEM

“We don’t want it; it’s tough to handle, it’s messy and there is little recyclable value.” I bet this is probably along the lines of what you’ve heard from recycling centers about taking your classified shred particles. I guess you can’t really blame them considering this confetti like particle can create a large mess with one drop of a shred bag.

Recently, the concept of briquetting has become very popular with recycling centers. Instead of sending the classified shred particles to a landfill, they are able to mix these briquettes in with their other bales of shredded paper, and send them in to be recycled.

This is an extremely important process in today’s society because of the positive effect it has the environment. By eliminating the process of sending your classified waste to the landfill, you are taking a step in the right direction. Depending on how much classified waste you produce, this could be a very significant decision.

On another note, we have also seen several customers implement the briquetting system to eliminate other costs. Some customers have worked with local recycling companies to implement a system where they work together. Due to the volume of briquettes this customer creates, a recycling company has offered to pick up the briquettes free of charge, provide the customer with free carts to collect the briquettes, and also pay them a small amount on the back end. This has saved the customer a significant amount as well as eliminated their container pulls and hauling costs! Although it may not seem like a lot at first, these numbers add up over time.

Team this briquetting system up with an NSA approved degausser and hard drive shredder and you have the ultimate classified base destruction / recycling facility. This puts you one step closer to being LEED certified!

SEM Paper Shredders Awarded Prestigious Eco-Friendly “Blue Angel” Certification

May 16, 2013 at 2:35 pm by SEM

Paper shredders manufactured for Security Engineered Machinery (SEM) by German based Krug and Priester GmbH and CO (K&P) have recently been awarded the prestigious “Blue Angel” certification. In addition to the precision and high quality typically found in German made products, these shredders are also loaded with a variety of environmentally friendly features that have earned them this highly sought-after certification.

The Blue Angel is only awarded to products and services which – from a holistic point of view – are of considerable benefit to the environment and, at the same time, meet high standards of serviceability, health, and occupational protection.

The Blue Angel is a German certification for products and services that have environmentally friendly aspects. It has been awarded since 1978 by the Jury Umweltzeichen, a group of 13 people from environment and consumer protection groups, industry, unions, trade, media and churches. Blue Angel is the oldest eco-label in the world, and it covers some 10,000 products in some 80 product categories.

To meet these eco-friendly standards, SEM shredders, that are manufactured by Krug and Priester (like the Model 244/4), integrate features that reduce noise, dust and emissions as well as an energy saving mode which generates no power after a brief period of non-use thus maximizing energy conservation.

After the introduction of Germany’s Blue Angel in 1978 as the first worldwide environmental label, other European and non-European countries followed this example and introduced their own national and supra-regional environmental labels. The common goal of these labels is to inform consumers about environmentally friendly products thereby giving global support to product-related environmental protection.

Learn more about our paper shredders here.