Shipping labels - how to destroy info on them

[Inbox]

So how do you adequately destroy all the info that gets put on a shipping label before throwing the packaging out for recycling, etc?

A big marker pen depending on the label it may not cover adequately, chucking it in the shredder just gums everything up, burning things is frowned upon these days.

So a bit stuffed really, thoughts?

Not to mention the barcodes have everything encoded in them too...

[zb]

A proper marker, the one a whiff of it makes you hear colours, does the job for me.

If you want to be extra careful, snip it up into a few pieces, and distribute them across a different public litter bins. That's what I do with old credit cards etc.

[Harpoon]

We've got one of the security ink roller things from Amazon - you get the odd plasticky type material it doesn't cover that well but generally does the job and quicker than a pen or cutting off a label. Loads to choose from

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blocker-Defender-Confiden...

[Spare tyre]

Chop it out the packaging then chop into bits

Depending on what it is will chop it in half and put one half in the bedroom bin that gets emptied monthly and the other in the kitchen bin which is daily

I guess it depends what you are worried about

Name and address on a shipping label is of no real loss of someone finds it

Edited by Spare tyre on Monday 22 September 12:20

[BigS]

I use a kitchen blow torch.
If the label is thermally printed (most are), a quick blast of heat turns the label black.
If it’s not thermally printed, then a couple of seconds longer and it burns it anyway

[K87]

BigS said:

I use a kitchen blow torch.
If the label is thermally printed (most are), a quick blast of heat turns the label black.
If it s not thermally printed, then a couple of seconds longer and it burns it anyway

On a similar basis, an iron can blacken the print but will also soften the glue between the label and the card allowing you to peel off the label in one go.

Is it just me or does no-one else keep good size Amazon boxes for reusing as opposed to thrown in the recycling?

[Puggit]

Harpoon said:

We've got one of the security ink roller things from Amazon - you get the odd plasticky type material it doesn't cover that well but generally does the job and quicker than a pen or cutting off a label. Loads to choose from

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blocker-Defender-Confiden...

We do this as well, but as I have a kitchen blowtorch, I may switch tactics...

[SlimJim16v]

BigS said:

I use a kitchen blow torch.
If the label is thermally printed (most are), a quick blast of heat turns the label black.
If it s not thermally printed, then a couple of seconds longer and it burns it anyway

Yes I use a blow torch lighter.
You can get shredder scissors with several blades, so can cut it into strips.

[QuartzDad]

zb said:

A proper marker, the one a whiff of it makes you hear colours.

[Cold]

I usually peel the appropriate part off and chuck it through the shredder. The stubborn ones get a blast of carburettor cleaner.

[alangla]

Peel it off as best you can, fold it in half on the sticky side, then either tear into small strips or put it in the shredder. The latter may not be an option if a chunk of cardboard comes away when you’re peeling the label off.

[Mont Blanc]

I have never bothered to remove any of my information from packaging, ever. I just put it in the recycling. Old credit/debit cards get cut up with scissors and thrown in the household waste bin. Letters from our bank or anything similar get ripped up, and go in the household waste bin as well.

The only thing I will actually spend any time to blank out with a marker pen is anything that states a PIN number etc.

My full name, address and DOB, pops up for all to see on companies house anyway, if anyone googles my name.

What risk does having my name and address on a disposed of Amazon parcel create? I'm assuming there must be one that I'm missing, if people are spending time, money and effort to remove it.

[119]

Same here.

Credit cards get chopped up, all the best gets binned.

No one has stolen me yet.

[Inbox]

I scanned one of the barcodes using an app and got name, address with postcode, email address and mobile number.

The only text was name and address but the rest was in the barcode.

Still I like the kitchen blow torch approach.

[JQ]

Mont Blanc said:

What risk does having my name and address on a disposed of Amazon parcel create? I'm assuming there must be one that I'm missing, if people are spending time, money and effort to remove it.

Also keen to understand what I'm missing. Admittedly, I do shred all letters, but they can often contain account numbers and greater levels of detail than an address label.

[119]

Inbox said:

I scanned one of the barcodes using an app and got name, address with postcode, email address and mobile number.

The only text was name and address but the rest was in the barcode.

Still I like the kitchen blow torch approach.

Interesting.

What delivery company was it?

[Inbox]

Delivery came via Fedex.

[55palfers]

A wipe with WD40 usually works

[wyson]

Lol, I just peel it off and scrunch it up into a small ball. Goes in the kitchen bin. Box gets chucked into the recycling bin.

@Mont Blanc, its another point of reference for identity theft. Name tied to an address, tied to a phone number, tied to a DOB (stupid NHS letters, why they can t go digital in 2025). Credit cards get applied for, passwords reset etc.

Companies house won’t list your DOB, it’s just month and year from a Google search.

Edited by wyson on Monday 22 September 14:54

[JoshSm]

All the labels and other stuff that needs destroying goes in a bag and when it's full it gets burned.

All the glue & whatever makes it go up nicely.