What Can't I Shred?

What can't be shred?

If you've ever taken the Virgin Trains West Coast line, it is likely you've seen their signs in the onboard toilets warning you not to flush your hopes and dreams, goldfish, or your ex's sweater. We can't shred those, either.

A guide to things which can't be shred

In general, if it is paper, it can go in your shredding bag. Binder clips, staples, thin plastic wallets are all OK to shred, too. Even lever arch files are fine to leave your papers in for shredding.

However, just like your ex's sweater, some things cannot be shred:

• Clothing of any description - we have found socks and other articles of clothing in our shredding bags - these cannot go through the shredding machine 
• USB sticks, hard drives, old floppy discs, CDs, DVDs, etc - we do offer a separate service to securely destroy electronic data, but it cannot go in with paper to be shred
• Batteries - loose or enclosed in a case or another item - they can explode or catch fire
• Hard plastic
• Electrical items

What can be shred?

We have information and advice on what you can and should be shredding.