Answers to Your Document Shredding Questions
As a trusted resource for our clients and the Nashville community, we’re asked questions about document shredding all the time. If you’re in the market for a privacy protection solution, there’s a good chance you may a question or two like some of those we’ve listed below. Here are the answers you’re looking for:
Q: Should I Shred Offsite or Onsite?
A: We recommend offsite shredding. Onsite shredding leaves your provider vulnerable to wind, rain and unapproved eyes in an open parking area. Offsite shredding offers a reliable and affordable privacy protection solution for your business. Your documents are transported in a GPS-tracked vehicle by screened professionals to a shredding plant where they’re destroyed and recycled behind locked doors and under camera.
Q: What is a Certificate of Destruction?
A: A Certificate of Destruction is a document you are given after your files are shredded. It notes the time, day and method of shredding and offers legal proof of destruction.
Q: What Happens To My Paper After It’s Shredded?
A: After your documents are shredded they are baled and transferred directly to a paper pulp recycling facility.
Q: What Does “NAID AAA Certified” Mean?
A: The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) provides oversight for the shredding and destruction industry. NAID AAA Certified paper shredding providers are subject to stringent, unscheduled audits confirming compliance with NAID security standards regarding:
- Personnel screening practices
- Equipment and facility safety
- Insurance requirements
You can easily verify your provider’s certification by visiting NAID online.
Q: Why Shouldn’t I Use a Paper Shredder?
A: Using a paper shredder to destroy your confidential documents isn’t efficient or secure to final disposal. Your employees spend hours putting paper through a small machine that can be done by a professional provider in a matter of minutes. A responsible shredding provider takes the shredded pieces directly to a paper mill for pulping. That means no recyclers selling your paper to the highest bidder or leaving it unsecured for identity thieves.
Q: How Often Are My Documents Shredded?
A: As often as you need them to be. You can invest in either scheduled shredding or a one-time shredding service.
Q: Should I Shred Non-Paper Items?
A: Yes, non-paper items like tapes or hard drives with sensitive data should be shredded. Data on digital devices is still accessible even after the devices are erased or reformatted. The only way to eradicate the data is to physically destroy the device. A hard drive and media shredding service shreds digital devices into tiny particles.
Q: I Don’t Own a Business. Can I Still Use a Paper Shredding Service?
A: Yes, a document shredding company like us also serves home owners with residential shredding services. A uniformed driver picks up your personal documents at your door and transport them to shredding plant for professional destruction. A residential shredding service eliminates “thieves” rummaging through your trash and recycling bins.
Let us know if you have another document shredding question. We promise we’ll answer it pronto!
Richards & Richards provides NAID AAA Certified destruction services for business throughout Nashville. For FAQs about our paper shredding service, click here. To request more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.
