Recycling Is Not Secure Document Shredding
Disposing of your paper records with a recycling company does not mean your private information is being handled and destroyed in a secure and compliant manner.
The only way to destroy confidential files is to shred them. A professional document destruction service does recycle all of the paper they shred but they are securely destroyed first. So, you are helping the environment when you destroy your paper records with a professional shredding company.
The first priority is to protect your confidential information. It is imperative to shred your documents first before anything else is done with the paper. Recyclers, on the other hand, mainly focus on recycling. To be successful, they have to separate all of the documents by paper type. That’s so they can get the greatest value for the different types of paper they receive. When this is done your files are separated by paper type so they can get the highest value for the non-mixed paper. By doing this, many people are involved and you never know who will have access to your private info. Different types of paper may sit around for a long period of time until they have accumulated enough of that type of paper to sell for recycling.
Collection Containers
There is also a big difference with the containers that shredding companies provide compared to the containers provided by recycling firms. A mobile shredding company provides security containers that are locked to secure and hold your documents in until they are destroyed. Recyclers use open refuse containers that are just a different color to identify the different types of items to be disposed in them. They are open and easily accessible by anyone passing by the containers. If your files are placed into a recycling container, someone could walk by and take them. The minute you place documents that contain confidential information in an open recycling container, you have violated privacy laws.
For customer convenience, recycling firms are offering single-stream recycling. That means all recyclables are placed in one container. Your documents, cardboard, glass, and plastic go into one container then they are separated later by the recycler. It also means your private information is going to be handled by people you don’t know, to separate the different types of recyclables. This is not a secure way to dispose of your confidential info.
Stay Secure with Document Shredding
Recycling is essential to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. But recycling is not a secure method to dispose of business records or private files; document shredding is. It’s important to remember that a professional shredding service will recycle your shredded files, but they are just securely shredded first.
Time Shred Services is a local onsite shredding and hard drive destruction service that provides information destruction to the businesses and residents located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester and New Jersey. For more information contact us or give us a call at 855-85-SHRED (74733) or visit www.timeshred.com.