Did you know that you have no right to privacy when it comes to your trash? In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court (California v. Greenwood) decided that anything you throw out for trash pickup is fair game for any snoop who comes along. "Dumpster diving" is a common tactic of identity thieves, which is why you're much safer if you destroy the kind of documents they're looking for.

Not everyone has the means to safely or legally burn their mail, and cutting up all those documents by hand is tedious. This calls for a paper shredder.

WHAT YOU SHOULD SHRED

Credit card statements, credit applications, bank statements, voided checks, ATM receipts, and anything that has your social security or account number. For privacy reasons, you just might want to shred anything that has your name and address on it. It's also a good idea to shred anything that has medical or legal information.

You should definitely shred expired credit cards. If your paper shredder can't handle thick plastic, cut it up with scissors before throwing it away. This is also the best way to dispose of expired passports, driver's licenses, and other forms of ID.

WHAT KIND OF PAPER SHREDDER TO USE

When choosing a paper shredder, consider how often you plan to use it. Some can only be used occasionally without overheating or jamming up, while the more heavy-duty ones will eat dozens of papers in short order.

Many paper shredders can't handle paper that's too thin, thick, slick, or glossy. If you want to be able to shred anything and everything that comes in the mail, check to see whether the shredder will handle different kinds of paper.

The complexity of the shredding is worth considering, too. Strip cut shredders will slice a document into long strips. The width of the strips can vary, but extremely thin strips will offer better security.

Cross cut shredders will reduce a document to confetti as it slices it up in multiple places. Cross cut, while more secure than strip cut, can take a longer time to shred paper because of the extra cutting involved.

PAPER SHREDDER SAFETY

Paper shredders have nasty fangs that won't discriminate between paper or little fingers. Even if you're supervising, you should never let a toddler or small child play with it or "help" you shred documents. When you're done with the shredder, unplug it and store it where it will be out of reach of curious toddlers.

Learn more about this author, Victoria Neely.
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