Information
Disposal Options
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Information Disposal Options
There are information disposal choices. You can hire a shredding
service, purchase an office shredder or simply recycle. The cost
of each option varies, as does the level of security.
Most shredding companies offer two types of shredding services, on-site
and plant based.
Level of Security - On-site shredding offers the
highest level of information security.
How it Works - As the name
implies, on-site shredding means that all confidential materials are
shredded on-site, at your location. The hydraulic lift of a Smart
Shred truck raises a filled container and your confidential information is
shredded in minutes. Because the process is automated, the technician
never touches your confidential documents. The Smart Shred truck is equipped
with video monitoring and it is recommended that you observe the shredding
process from beginning to end, each and every time your materials are
shredded. This will insure that all confidential information has before
it leaves your premises.
Typical Cost- Prices may range
from $65 to $85 per service. Back To Top
Level of Security - Off-site shredding is the least
secure process that a shredding company can offer.
How it Works - Off-site shredding
companies bring your confidential documents back to their facility to
be shredded. Off-site shredding companies usually separate your white
documents (such as copy paper and stationery) from your colored documents
(such as yellow legal paper and file folders) to increase the value of
the recycled paper. This is hand sorted so if you choose an off-site
shredding company, be aware that their employees will at some point have
access to these confidential documents. This process can expose your
customers to identity theft and fraud...and expose your organization
to severe fines, bad publicity and lost business.
Typical Cost- Prices are usually lower
than on-site shredding. They
may range from $60 to $70 per service. Back To Top
Level of Security – Office shredders
offer limited information security.
How it Works - Employees
get rid of confidential documents by “feeding the office shredder.” Since
you do not want to pay your higher paid employees to spend time shredding,
in many organizations, the person chosen to perform this task is an
entry-level employee making near minimum wage. They are also
the most likely candidates to steal confidential information for personal
gain. In addition, most office shredders use a “strip shred” process
that can leave large pieces of paper intact.
Typical Cost - It sounds
like a cost effective method, but when you consider that most office
shredders shred less then eight pages of paper at once, office shredding
can easily take hours of employee time each and every week. Factor
in wages, benefits, the initial cost of the shredder, plus shredder
maintenance, the cost will usually exceed those charged by a shredding
company . Back
To Top
Level of Security - None. When a company gives
away paper for recycling they relinquish all rights to the information.
If confidential information was not properly shredded and it falls into
the wrong hands, your organization will be held liable.
How it Works - Recycling
your confidential documents is a dangerous practice. Most recycling
companies hire minimum wage workers who have not undergone criminal
background checks or random drug testing. These workers sort your documents,
often in unsupervised areas. The sorted paper is then stored
for days, weeks or months until there is enough to sell. Your confidential
documents, still intact, are then baled and sold to the highest bidder,
where they may be stored again, until they are finally used to make
new products.
Typical Cost - None. Many
recycling firms will pay for your recycled paper. Back
To Top
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