Years of paperwork have a way of sticking around.
For Jim, that buildup eventually turned into 75 banker boxes filled with old documents. Not the kind of thing you throw out with the regular trash, and not something you chip away at quickly either.
It was one of those projects that kept getting pushed off, simply because there wasn’t a clear, practical way to deal with it.
At one point, he tried handling it by hand… pulling staples, removing paper clips, and feeding documents through a shredder one box at a time. But at a few hours per box, it didn’t take long to realize that approach wouldn’t get the job done.
The problem wasn’t just getting started. It was finding a way to finish it.
Why Shredding Wasn’t the Answer
Jim, like most of us, tried to work through the boxes one at a time with a shredder.
But even getting a single box ready took time. Staples had to be pulled. Paper clips removed. Then came the actual shredding. By the time one banker’s box was finished, it had already taken two to three hours.
That might be manageable for a small stack. But it doesn’t hold up when you’re staring at 75 boxes.
At that pace, the project would have stretched out for weeks, if not longer.
It wasn’t just tedious. It was unrealistic.
Even bringing in a mobile shredding service came with a price tag that didn’t make much sense at that scale.
It wasn’t a lack of effort. It just wasn’t a practical way to get through that much material.
Jim Tried a Different Solution: Burning in Bulk
Jim still needed a solution to work through all 75 boxes… just more efficiently.
As a landowner, burning was already a practical option. Instead of feeding paper through a shredder one stack at a time, he could handle larger volumes in a more controlled setting. This is when the idea of burning in bulk started to make sense.
There was still some hesitation at first.
- How much could he realistically burn at one time?
- Would a full box burn cleanly without a ton of smoke and debris?
- Would it keep up with the pace he needed?
- Would this actually save time, or just shift the work?
Rather than guess, Jim decided to put it to the test.
He went with an XL Incinerator from Burn Right® Products.
He loaded the unit, lit the material from the top, and let it burn. As the fire worked its way down, the contents began to break down and burn off, making room to add more.
Right away, it was clear this approach could keep up in a way shredding never could.
A Routine That Cleared 75 Boxes in 6 Days
Once Jim got started, the process settled into a routine.
Each morning around 8:00, Jim would load four banker boxes into the incinerator and light the top. From there, he’d let it burn down and check in after a couple of hours.
As the material broke down, he’d add another box or two and keep the process going. That pattern continued throughout the day…
Check in, reload, and let it burn.
By the end of the day, he’d leave the unit to continue burning overnight.
The next morning, he’d come back, roll the incinerator off the ash pile, clear it out, and start again.
Six days later, all 75 boxes were gone.
What Made This Process Work for Jim
A few things stood out as Jim worked through the process:
- Minimal ash buildup, even over several days of burning
- A steady burn that didn’t require constant attention
- The ability to keep adding material as it burned down
- Top-down lighting that helped the fire work downward through the material
- No need to haul anything off-site or coordinate with outside services
- Avoided the time and cost associated with shredding or mobile services
- Significantly reduced the time, effort, and energy required to burn 75 banker boxes
- Still owns an incinerator that remains ready to use for more projects and multipurpose use
Together, these factors made it possible to work through a large volume of material in a way that stayed manageable from start to finish.
Burn Right® Products: A Practical Way to Handle Large Cleanups
For Jim, the process came down to having a system he could repeat each day.
It was controlled and manageable, and it did not require rushing to get results. By working through the material in steady batches, he was able to handle a large volume without it becoming overwhelming.
If you’ve got a project that keeps getting pushed off, this kind of approach can make it manageable. And having the right setup will make it easier to keep things moving until the project is done.
Contact Burn Right® Products today to find the right incinerator for your needs.
