Document Shredding Facts You
Need to Know

The increase of identity theft means it’s more important than ever for businesses to understand the importance of document shredding. Unfortunately, not every document shredding method protects the privacy of your information. Here are the facts you need to know . 

In-House Shredding is Risky

There are many things that can go wrong when you rely on an office paper shredder as a document disposal solution. If the shredder is broken, files can’t be shredded and may be tossed in a trash or recycling bin. When it’s working properly, all shredded material is bagged and eventually thrown into a dumpster where it’s at risk of being stolen and potentially pieced back together.

Outsourcing your shredding to a qualified partner eliminates these risks. Locked collection containers are delivered to your office free of charge. Your employees simply drop confidential files through the slot, quickly and easily. On a scheduled or on-demand basis, the contents of your collection containers are picked up by a screened service technician and destroyed on-site at your facility or securely transported off-site for destruction at a shredding plant.

Outsourcing Your Shredding is Cost Effective

When you consider employee wages and benefits, then factor in depreciation and maintenance costs on the equipment, it can cost about $120 per month to operate an office shredder. That’s almost twice as much as our shredding service. Plus, professional paper shredding eliminates time consuming in-house document disposal tasks that eat away at productivity and revenue generation. 

Professional Paper Shredding Makes Privacy Law Compliance Easier

There’s an alphabet soup of privacy laws to keep up with, including:

• HIPAA
• FACTA
• SOX
• GLBA

Each of these privacy laws requires the secure disposal of sensitive personal, financial and medical information. Outsourcing your shredding helps your business to avoid the stiff fines and penalties for noncompliance with legal regulations. After your documents are shredded, you receive a Certificate of Destruction that verifies the time, date and method of destruction and serves as documented proof of your company’s compliance with state and federal privacy laws.

Most Recyclers Do Not Shred Your Confidential Information

Most paper recycling companies transport intact documents overseas, where they are vulnerable to unauthorized access. A professional document destruction provider recycles your documents after they are shredded beyond recognition.

On-Site and Off-Site Shredding Are Secure

When you outsource your document disposal to a professional shredding and destruction company, you can choose to have your documents shredded on-site at your business or off-site at a secure shredding plant. You choose the option that aligns with your personal preference and budget. Both on-site and off-site shredding ensure your sensitive information is disposed of promptly, thoroughly, and securely. A secure chain of custody process is followed during the collection, destruction and recycling of your documents.

Now you know the various options available to you for document shredding, you can make an informed decision about which one is best for you and your company.

Records Management Center provides professional shredding and destruction solutions for businesses throughout Augusta, Evans, Thomson, and Martinez, GA, and Aiken, SC and the Central Savannah River Area. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.