Recently I have been sorting out my files and getting rid of financial statements older than 3 years. This has resulted in a lot of paper needing to be disposed of in a safe manner.
Usually I would shred the paper, but as my shredder broke a few years ago when I was carrying out a similar exercise, I had to come up with another way of securely destroying my documents.
Rapid Exothermic Oxidation (REO)
This is my novel method which is very simple and cheap to do. It allows you to handle large amounts of paper quickly and can guarantee 100% destruction of your personal data. Not only can it be used for paper based media but also for optical based media too.
All you need to use this method is a heat proof container (a metal dustbin or BBQ will do) and a heat source. Place your data into the container and apply the heat source. Stand well back as the oxidation occurs.
Here you can see the chemical reaction in progress.
Once complete you will be left with the following which, once cool, can simply be disposed of in a domestic bin.
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