What Papers Should You Shred?

A recycling bin is not a shredder. Account numbers and your address can still be read off a bill you tossed.

Shred paper that has your name plus a number someone could use. Bank statements, tax copies you are done with, medical or insurance papers that are yours, and old mail with your address on it. Bring that stack to The Mail Station in Monroe. Our shredding service in Monroe explains the drop-off.

19916 Old Owen Road, Monroe, WA 98272
Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–6 PM · Sat 9 AM–2 PM · Sun closed (Pacific time)
Phone: (360) 805-9250

Papers worth destroying

• Bank and credit statements you no longer need for your own records
• Tax copies after you have kept what your own records require
• Medical and insurance papers that are yours
• Mail with your name and address, including pre-approved offers
• Notes and drafts that mention account numbers, passwords, or a Social Security number

If you might need the page later, scan it first. After destruction, it is gone. We do not keep a copy.

How long to keep a tax file is your own records question. We do not tell you which year you are allowed to destroy. We take the copies you have already decided to get rid of.

Papers we will not take

• Someone else’s mail. Even if it landed in your box by mistake.
• Binders and plastic folders. Take the paper out first.
• Cardboard boxes. Empty them at the counter.
• X-rays.
• Batteries, unless we say a device can stay intact.

Drives are not paper

A hard drive, SSD, USB stick, CD, DVD, or backup tape does not go in with the statements. Hand those to the counter. See hard drive shredding in Monroe.

Where to take the stack

Walk in during store hours. No appointment for a normal folder. Call first if you have more than one file box.

We hold the paper until Pacific Northwest Shredding picks it up once a month and destroys it. They are NAID AAA certified for information destruction. The Mail Station is the drop-off. It is not cut while you stand there.

Do not assume a certificate comes with every drop-off. Ask before you leave the items if you need proof.

For the trip itself, read where to shred documents in Monroe. For the local overview, read paper shredding near me.