The shredding kiosk...

No, it's not the title of a new B-grade horror movie, it's a cool product being offered by RealTime Shredding, "a Colorado Springs-based company that aims to bring commercial-grade shredding capabilities to the masses," according to this article at Self-service World. From the article:

RealTime indeed might be arriving at a very opportune time. According to a report by the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, 7 million people in the U.S. fell victim to identity theft in the past 12 months — that’s about 800 people every hour. Victims spend an average of 600 hours recovering from the crime, which amounts to an average of $16,000 in lost potential or real income.

As awareness of identity theft has risen in the public mind, so too has the sale of at-home shredding units. The American Office Products Distributors association said the global shredder market is currently $700 to $800 million a year, with a projected annual growth of 20 percent. Fellowes, a leading manufacturer of shredders, said its sales rose 25 percent in 2003 from the year before.

I love this idea (especially the clever distribution of "Real-Time Shredding" bags that users can keep at home or in the office, sort of like the dedicated recycling can that has become so ubiquitous. Read the article to find out more about it :)