A Comprehensive Guide to Product Destruction Services
Destroying your company’s product? What purpose would that serve? A good purpose, as it turns out. Off-spec and outdated products require removal to protect one’s brand, the public’s health and well-being, and to uphold high quality standards in your facility.
A company in need of product destruction services must find a responsible, reputable waste disposal company to handle the job. Here’s a comprehensive guide to product destruction services that explores the importance, methods, and benefits of such services.
Product Destruction Services: The Basics
Product destruction services go beyond simply collecting old products and chucking them into a landfill. These specialized methods are designed to dispose of items that cannot be recycled, upcycled, or resold elsewhere.
Such products can be defective items that pose risks, expired medications or food and drink items, or poorly made or lesser-quality products the company would never want to sell due to the risk to their reputation. These products cannot end up in the wrong hands, say resellers or overseas retailers with no compunctions about selling bad, dangerous products to unwitting consumers.
When you hire a professional product destruction company, you can rest easy knowing the unwanted items will be annihilated securely and in compliance with environmental standards and regulations. Your business will be free of legal or liability issues and can prevent claims of negligence.
Methods of Product Destruction
Professional product destruction services come in different forms, as specific types of waste require precise means of disposal. Here’s a sampling of a few methods.
Incineration
Possibly the best way to destroy most things is through incineration, though it’s not always the most environmentally conscious method. Incineration is great for getting rid of products safely and easily; think paper and similar materials, though some particularly intense incinerators can eliminate glass, metal, and other products one doesn’t think of as burnable. High-temperature incinerators turn items into ash that can’t be reconstructed.
Incineration is useful for handling huge volumes of matter. Still, some products release gases and other by-products that are bad for the environment, so not every product should be incinerated. Plus, as mentioned, it’s not the most eco-friendly choice. Still, if following regulations, incineration can be a thorough, safe method of destruction.
Shredding
Ditching documents or products made of paper, cardboard, or similar materials? Shredding is an excellent, thorough solution. This method goes beyond individual shredders that turn documents into strips of paper that can be easily reconstructed. Heavy-duty shredders break down items into tiny, crosscut, crinkled pieces, making it impossible to tape them back together. Shredding is best used for confidential documents, defective packaging, and other nonhazardous materials that can be easily broken down.
Crushing
Can’t shred or burn it? Give crushing a chance. Crushing involves compacting items into flat sheets or piles of material, breaking them down and rendering them unusable. This method is good for items that are made of metal or other materials, making them harder to destroy or demolish through the above methods.
Composting
Want to destroy documents or products while giving something back to the planet? Composting takes paper, cardboard, and organic and biodegradable products and converts them into fertilizer that enriches the soil. Expired food and drink, most paper without a plastic component, and cardboard packaging are all suitable for composting. The materials can be ground up and left to decompose in the dirt, creating a healthy, spreadable soil.
Direct Landfill
Sometimes the old ways are the best, such as using landfills. However, disposing of outdated products usually requires some sort of treatment before being dumped in the local landfill. Since it’s less environmentally friendly, direct landfill disposal may be the last resort for products that can’t be processed by other means.
Why Hire Professionals for Product Destruction?
Enlisting the help of professional product destruction services offers numerous benefits to businesses, as well as a greater sense of ease and certainty that their products won’t be misused, abused, or end up hurting someone.
Ensures Compliance and Safety
Do you know all the rules and regulations about safe product disposal? Probably not. A reputable waste disposal company is familiar with EPA regulations, local and state laws, and other rules for proper, safe disposal so you don’t have to be.
Protects Brand Reputation
Branding is everything these days, and a ruined reputation is difficult to salvage. Hiring professional services and preventing outdated and dangerous products from entering the marketplace helps companies maintain their reputation of high quality and safety.
Confidentiality and Security
If old, off-spec, or new concept products not intended for release are discovered and exploited by competitors or gray-market dealers, you run the risk of having trade secrets and proprietary information revealed. This disastrous consequence can lead to lost profits and missed marketing opportunities. Proper product destruction prevents this outcome.
Choosing the Right Product Destruction Service
When selecting a product destruction service, consider the following characteristics of a reputable business:
- Experience and expertise: Look for companies with a proven track record in product destruction, particularly those knowledgeable about industry-specific regulations.
- Environmental credentials: Choose services that prioritize environmentally friendly disposal methods and have certifications to back up their claims.
- Compliance and documentation: Ensure the service provides comprehensive documentation for regulatory compliance, including certificates of destruction.
- Security measures: Assess the security measures the service employs to protect your products and information throughout the destruction process.
- Customer reviews and references: Ask for references. Good waste disposal companies have them at the ready.
That’s a comprehensive guide to product destruction services. Are you seeking secure product destruction? Contact us for a consultation! We’ve been in business for over 30 years, handling all sorts of waste. Product destruction services are just a part of what we do. We also take care of the disposal of electronic, pharmaceutical, cannabis, explosive, e-cigarette, and other kinds of waste that’s difficult to get rid of.
Our team offers recycling as well as remediation and hazmat cleanups, tackling everything from pipeline accidents to lab decontamination. Ask us about our transportation and training services as well. We have employees available to assist you across all 50 states! Call us today for more information.
