Maintaining clear and organized records is an important part of doing business. But, there inevitably comes a time when keeping those records becomes unnecessary. Disposing of old and unnecessary physical documents can be quite a process if done properly. Today’s article will discuss the reasons why destroying physical copies and records is so important and will review the steps needed to complete the process.
The Importance of Proper Record Disposal
Your company’s records are a critical resource and their disposal requires the proper investment of time and resources to ensure your compliance with federal and state regulations as well as ensuring the security of your employee’s and client’s information. Poor record disposal can result in security breaches, loss of confidential information, and lost privacy. Failing to heed security related laws and regulations can result in costly fines or even imprisonment.
Pulping, Burning, and Shredding
There are a number of ways to fully dispose of business records when the time comes. Simply throwing such material in the garbage or recycling bin exposes your company to significant security threats. Such materials need to be disposed of in a way that completely removes the risk of a third party gaining access to sensitive information. The three most complete forms of document disposal include pulping, burning, and most commonly, shredding.
Shredding is the most well-known of the paper disposal methods. Shredders are available to purchase in both personal and office capacities and are undoubtedly handy tools to have around the home and office. However, they are impractical for use with larger amounts of physical copies and records amassed by most companies. In such cases they are often inefficient, messy, and don’t provide the level of security necessary for complete peace of mind. Shredded paper can be reconstructed making the security of the disposal method incomplete without the accompaniment of an additional disposal method such as incineration or pulping.
Incineration is a generally straightforward process which relies on the act of burning to completely destroy sensitive documents. This process can be extremely time-consuming, requires access to an incinerator or another source of open flame, and is also illegal to perform in certain city or residential areas. That said, there is no chance of sensitive material making it into the wrong hands once this disposal method is complete.
Pulping is essentially a process which breaks down the fibers of the documents into a liquid slurry before reusing the remaining material in the creation of post-consumer recycled content products. Pulping can be done after shredding takes place to make all information completely irretrievable. This method involves submerging your records into a bleach or bleach-like chemical that breaks down the fibers of the paper and destroys the colorants of ink, completely removing the information that was originally present on the documents. The remaining material is then blended and dried for further disposal.
About Happy Faces Records Management
At HF Services, our imaging, destruction and recycling services make it easy to keep your data safe from prying eyes. We scan your documents to provide secure storage and destroy hard copies to protect privacy. Our processes conform to government regulations and consider environmental concerns.
HF Services provides highly secure shredding services and technologies that include a patented process for the shredding and recycling of medical film. Whether you are destroying paper-based documents or computers, digital media or other electronic items, our processes adapt to fit the needs of the items being destroyed.
