Bin There, Bag That

Document destruction is a vital part of just about every SDB reader’s business. In our 2012 State of the RIM Industry Report, we found 91.5 percent of respondents offer document destruction services, and 77 percent of respondents say their revenues from these services increased at least slightly between 2010 and 2011. (The 2012 State of the RIM Industry Report can be found at www.sdbmagazine.com/FileUploads/file/SDB_SOI_2012.pdf.) As integral as document destruction is to these businesses, it can be a pain—literally.

Emptying secure consoles five days a week for years can injure a person’s back and knees. Document destruction service personnel also have many sites to visit each day, so the clock is never far from their minds. Bags can take a long time to collect and empty, and though inserts typically can be dumped more quickly they hold about 30 percent less paper than bags. Equipment providers have recognized the trouble spots with console bins and bags and have been working on solutions.

Pictured clockwise from top: Big Dog Shred Bins’ Go Fetch Swap Out; Jake, Connor and Crew’s The Collar; and the Regal console from Kilch Enterprises

Bag It
According to sources, console bags can hold from 70 to 90 pounds of paper, which can mean that service providers make less frequent site visits than when serving consoles with inserts. They also take up minimal storage space and can be locked for secure transport if the customer chooses off-site destruction.

“Bags are more cost effective and you can do the pickup with a van,” says Sales Manager Danielle Levac, Big Dog Shred Bins, Lakeside, Calif. “You can use them for a quick ergonomic empty on site or you can swap them for off site.”

For clients that require high security, bags are preferable because of what Shannon Park, sales manager of Kitchener, Ontario-based Jake, Connor and Crew, calls “their cinchability,” or the ability to close them securely using a drawstring.

Not all bags are created equal, however. In addition to the material the bags are constructed from, other things destruction firms can look for when shopping for bags is where and how they attach to the console and how they lay within it.

Nancy Kilch of Kilch Enterprises Inc., Marietta, Ga., says her company has created a bag with a flat bottom that lays flush against the floor of its Regal consoles. Kilch Enterprises also has placed the hooks for the bag on the sides of the console instead of toward the top. The location and shape of the hooks is designed to facilitate removal and installation of the bag, Kilch says.

All Source’s console insert

Jake, Connor and Crew also has introduced a new product designed to improve the serviceability of console bags. The Collar is an accessory that is designed to be attached to existing console bags, eliminating the need to attach the bag’s grommets to hooks, the company says. The Collar also is designed to allow the bag to be pulled out of a console in a similar fashion to an insert, according to Jake, Connor and Crew.
 

Insert Here
Inserts typically are not designed to close and lock like bags are, though Park points out that destruction company customers with security concerns can ask for their paper to be transferred to larger, secure carts during a service call or can seek out lockable inserts.

Levac says an insert can typically hold 60 pounds, “and that translates to about two-thirds the capacity that a bag holds, which is 90 pounds.” She adds, “The only limitation of an insert is since they don’t have a lid, they must be dumped into a cart on site.”

While bags tend to cost more up front, they may need to be emptied less often and are often designed to last. However, some console suppliers are designing inserts with longevity in mind.

“The insert is made of high-density polyethylene and was made to last which is why we have a five-year warranty, whereas bags are meant to be somewhat disposable—they wear and tear, they slip, the handles break, ” says Rachelle Carr, sales and marketing manager for All Source Security Container USA of her company’s Ergo DuraFlex with rigid insert. All Source, based in Barrie, Ontario; has offices in Ontario, Calif.; Irvine, Texas; and Charlotte, N.C.

“Inserts are for customers who are into ergonomics because it cuts down your time by two-thirds when you’re emptying it,” Carr adds.

Less time spent emptying consoles could positively affect the bottom lines of destruction firms.

In addition to durability, the construction material also affects the cost of the insert, Kilch says. “For example, some inserts are made of a heavy-duty cardboard, which offers a lighter and less expensive option but typically is not as durable as plastic inserts,” she says. “Even among plastic choices, some are thinner-walled, so while they may be less expensive and lighter weight, the walls may bend (making them difficult to slide out or break).”

The bag’s construction also affects cost and durability. “Similarly,” Kilch says, “while most bags are made of nylon or polyester fabric, there are significant differences in fabric strength, stitching, cording/locking, grommet attachment points, shape and capacity.”

At least one manufacturer has introduced a console-like option that uses neither a bag nor an insert: Big Dog Shred Bins’ Go Fetch Swap Out. When the Go Fetch Swap Out has reached its 60-pound capacity, Levac says the container’s lid can be unlocked and opened for dumping. It is also designed to stack on top of each other for storage or transportation.
 

Compliance Concerns
As destruction company employees began complaining of sore backs and worn out knees, the insert began to materialize.

“The one drawback we have found with the bag is that it can overfill with paper,” Carr says. “Even though it is designed for 72 pounds, it can expand itself and hold up to 100 pounds if you overfill it.” Carr adds, “The drawback to that is the stress it can put on the document destruction worker. When you have to get down and unhook a 90-pound bag and then lift it over your shoulder to dump it and you do that how many times a day for how many years, it is havoc on your joints and bones.”

All Source’s Carr says she also noticed customers were asking if the company’s inserts were Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) compliant. Health care organizations seeking JCAHO accreditation must use consoles that carry no more than 32 gallons at a time, meaning most bags were too large.

“Customers that had installed large numbers of high-capacity standard consoles in hospitals may have had fire marshals or JCAHO inspectors require a modification to reduce capacity. A tapered or footed insert provided a good solution,” Kilch explains.

A document destruction firm’s decision to go with a bag or insert can vary. “It’s based on particular needs,” says Lavec. “Every shredder knows how to best run their business, so they know which option best suits their needs.”

JCAHO compliance and ergonomics aside, suppliers know it is in their best interest to offer both options, as there is no best option.

“Our customers want options,” Park says. “They and their end customers want options to allow them to decide on the level of security and the overall design of container they require.” She continues, “Whether its inserts, locking options or container design, the more options our customers have, the more ability they have to provide the level of security their customer demands combined with the product that provides them with the greatest return on investment.”

The author is assistant editor of Storage & Destruction Business and can be reached at kstoklosa@gie.net.