very quiet only 58 db even shreds staples safety grade 3 according to german din 32757 standards the hama cross cut shredder has a high safety level and is very good value for money you can use it for up to 8 pieces of a4 paper cds dvds blu rays and plastic cards 16 litre collection container which can be removed for emptying the paper is shredded very small which means more fits in the container separate slot for cds dvds blu rays and plastic cards separate 15 litre c