Mdthbs

A while ago I had my bank issue me new checks due to a change of name (I got married). However I still have many hundreds of checks with the out of date info (they're an online bank and issue about 1000 checks at once, and I have several accounts with them).

Because these old checks are still valid (in date, and with my real account info on them) I do not feel comfortable just throwing them in the trash. However I do not have a shredder capable of shredding whole check books (and separating many hundreds of checks to shred individually would take a long time).

Is there a better way to dispose of these old checks? I have considered burning them but am fairly sure there are enough of them that doing so would set off my fire alarms (I live in an apartment complex where setting off the fire alarms will activate sprinklers in the entire building which is not desirable.)

I do not know if there is any kind of service that can securely destroy check books? Or if there is some norm of sending them back to the bank?

Failing that is there some way to securely dispose of them, either destroying them myself or taking them to someone (ideally in person or via a secure courier) who can destroy them for me, ideally with minimal expense and minimal risk of the checks or my identity being stolen?

(I did notice a few other questions which were similar, however they were about checks with were no longer valid, for closed accounts or after a change of account number, these are fully valid usable checks, just with the wrong name.)

The norm for disposing of old checks is destroying them, if you really wanted a non-shredder option you could cut a significant portion off and just burn those, or dispose of larger pieces at separate times/locations.

However, with a name change you can typically just keep using them. Sign your new name. The name/address portion at the top is mostly a convenience. My wife (and many others) have done this without issue. Same goes for address, it's rarely referenced and acceptable to simply cross out and correct if desired.

Simple: Use a secure shredding vendor. Some vendors offer different tiers with different disposal practices, for checks you would obviously want to choose the more (most) secure option.

Many office supply vendor chains offer secure shredding services - UPS Store, Office Depot, PostNet, and so on. Googling for your local branches should give you an idea of what's available in your area, and you can read their terms and conditions to determine if the shredding services they offer are secure enough for your comfort level.

In addition, there are vendors targeted specifically at document storage and/or shredding: Iron Mountain, Confidata, Proshred, and so on - again, a google search should tell you more.

Finally, some government waste disposal entities may offer secure shredding services - In the US, my local County recycling authority offers secure shredding if you bring your documents to one of their facilities according to their scheduled availability, and they will also hand you off to local secure shredding vendors if you have additional needs.

If you were especially paranoid, you could call your bank and get a stop payment placed on the range of check numbers for the checks you're destroying, although your bank will likely advise you that that's not necessary since you're shredding them.

You are overestimating the task of tearing up several thousand checks, and also overestimating the persistence of scavengers pawing through your garbage in search of treasure.

I faced the same problem when I had about 300 checks left over when I retitled more than several accounts. It really didn't take that long to tear them in fours and put them in with the garbage (not with the clean trash). Maybe 10 minutes, max. Multiply that by 10 (say you have 3,000 checks) and divide by two (one other person to help), that is an hour's work apiece. But tedious! And a little hard on the finger-nails.

So make it a game. Use creativity.

Put them in your cat's litter box (I have not tried this) and scoop them out with the poop and urine and put them in the poop bag. This will take several weeks, but they will be fragrant enough to be difficult to pass. If you don't have a cat, keep reading.

Better, put them in a large bucket with Cloxox or with paint or used motor oil (stir well), then put them in with the garbage. Make the garbage smelly and repulsive with grease, egg shells, decayed and slimy vegetables... and whatever else your creativity suggests.

For another layer of security, take this repulsive mess to your local Transfer Station (aka The Dump) and deposit it at the hazardous waste station.

This is maybe too elaborate and frivolous an answer, but it will absolutely keep anyone from using your checks.