Readers reply: to shred or not to shred? Is it OK to throw out sensitive documents?

"I like to shred anything with my name and address on before putting it in the recycling bin (although this usually means ripping it up and putting on the compost heap). But my children say there is no need, that the world's digital now and no one's going to be rooting through our rubbish to scam us or steal our identities. I understand what they are saying, but I still feel uneasy about releasing readable information about myself into the world like that."

"Good grief. What paranoia. My parents back home use a shredder, too. I live in a building with 15 flats. We have two bins for waste paper. I just tear up the letters and throw them all in with everyone else's. The bins are in the courtyard at the back of the building and you'd need a key to get in anyway. Other bins in Germany are in the cellar of the apartment building and the binmen haul them up through the pavements and chuck it all into the machine. No one is going to go through your stuff. We all have identity cards anyway, so no one is going to use an old gas bill as proof of identity. When I tell Germans how the Brits use gas and electricity bills or bank statements as proof of identity, they give an incredulous laugh. Nina1414"

"It is not likely someone will dig through your trash and pull out documents with information they can use in crimes, but the likelihood is also not zero. If shredding gives you peace of mind, then shred away. Jeff, by email"

Households adopt varied document-disposal habits ranging from shredding and burning to casually tearing and recycling. The probability of someone retrieving useful personal information from household waste is low but not zero, and national identity-check practices influence how useful old bills might be. Destroying paper records reduces the small risk of fraud and offers psychological comfort. Some people compost shredded paper or mix ashes into soil, while others rely on secure communal waste systems or identity cards. Privacy concerns extend to digital footprints, prompting some to limit online personal details as well.

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